If That's How It Is
by Chloe E Zephyr
Summary: What happens when those who are not meant to be together... Are forced together? ;) Is it possible that something may bloom?
1. In The Beginning

If That's How It Is  
  
A/N: I don't own Harry Potter and other related characters. D'uh.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Hermione walked calmly into the barrier at platform 9 ¾, Harry and Ron behind her. After saying 'hello' to Lavender, Parvati, and all their other friends, the trio, with a little help from Fred and George, loaded their luggage onto the Hogwarts Express. Mrs Weasley was fussing over Ginny, who was, by far, the only 5th year whose mother was asking if she would remember to be good, and not get into trouble, and eat all her vegetables at dinner. Ron, Fred, and George were giving her a last hug, as Ginny tried to slip away. Finally, when Hermione, Harry and Ron managed to get into a compartment, did they manage to talk in peace, without Mrs Weasley or the twins overhearing.  
  
"How's was your summer?" Said Hermione to her best friends, who were seated across from her.  
  
"It was pretty uneventful," said Harry, somewhat glumly, "unless you count the fact that Dudley was forced into gym classes by my uncle."  
  
Ron gave him a one-sided smile. "Well, that should get his ass in shape soon! Well, I just helped Percy with work -."  
  
"I bet you made him pay you!" Smirked Hermione, only knowing Ron too well.  
  
"Hey! He offered to pay me 10 galleons if I helped him file all his documents. Like I dared resist!" Shot back Ron, stuffing an owl treat down a disgruntled Pig's throat.  
  
Harry laughed at Ron's face, as Hermione rolled her chocolate-brown eyes.  
  
"I don't know about you two," said Harry, in an attempt to prevent his best friends from fighting, "but I think it's awfully warm in our compartment. I'd do anything for a goblet of pumpkin juice!"  
  
Ron sighed. "The cart won't be here for another hour. So you just have to suffer, Harry."  
  
Hermione sighed, as though she couldn't believe how thick they were being. "Watch and learn, boys," she grinned cheekily, pulling out her wand from the pocket of her jeans.  
  
She pointed at the floor in between them.  
  
"Icedeus!"  
  
In an instant, the floor was covered in ice, and it spread to the ceiling.  
  
"Er, Herm? How are we going to open the door?"  
  
Just then, the door flew open, and they were greeted with the sight of Draco Malfoy.  
  
"Potty, weasel. and the mudblood." he started.  
  
The three of them stood up. Hermione tugged nervously on the hem of her black tank top.  
  
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Growled Ron.  
  
"It's Granger, weasel. She's wanted."  
  
"For what?" He said in the same tone, giving Malfoy the top-to-toe look.  
  
Hermione thought that if he got any angrier, he'd probably melt the ice in their compartment before anyone could blink.  
  
"Prefects, weasel. Where have you been?"  
  
With that, he turned and left their compartment. "You wouldn't want to be late, Granger." Ron reluctantly allowed Harry to sit him down.  
  
"Go ahead, Herm. We'll settle this later."  
  
Hermione nodded and left the compartment, hoping that Ron wouldn't get angry when she told them that she and the other prefects were going to have their own common room.  
  
Then, taking a deep breath, she entered a compartment after Malfoy, and began to note down her duties. 


	2. The Great Hall

Thank you to my first reviewer, Obsessed (Why?). Made me want to go on with the story. Thanks! This is for you!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
At dinner, Hermione kept quiet, and did not speak unless she was spoken to. Ginny tried to start a conversation with her, but finally gave up as she could see Hermione had other things on her mind.  
  
"And so, we finally managed to get him back," said Ron, laughing along with Harry, Seamus and Dean. "Good idea, huh, Hermione?"  
  
"Hermione?" Said Harry waving his hand in front of her.  
  
"Huh? What?" Hermione snapped out of her bubble.  
  
"Nevermind," said Ron importantly. He turned back to Seamus and Dean and told them of the latest things Fred and George had invented.  
  
Harry lowered his voice. "Hermione, is there anything you're not telling me and Ron?" He said, as Ginny's eyes clouded over with worry.  
  
"Well. Not really. Oh. Yes!" Admitted Hermione, looking down at her fingers as if she'd just realized they were there. "I'm a prefect, and I have to sleep in the prefect's dormitories."  
  
"That means." Trailed Harry.  
  
"That I won't be seeing much of you, unless I go to our common room. Oh, Harry, Ginny. Please don't tell Ron! I'm- I'm afraid of his reaction!"  
  
"But my brother will find out sooner or later," said Ginny, nibbling on her bottom lip, the mashed potatoes on her plate forgotten.  
  
"I know," said Hermione miserably. "Harry, could you tell him later? Please?"  
  
Harry nodded slowly. "I'll do what I can, Hermione. But no promises!"  
  
Hermione smiled at him and Ginny. "Thanks, you two."  
  
Their attention was diverted almost immediately, by Professor McGonagall, who was requesting for all the new prefects to come to the front for a short meeting.  
  
"Excuse me," said Hermione, getting up from the table. Someone put a hand on her shoulder as she reached the front. It was Lavender.  
  
"When do your duties start, Herm?"  
  
"Tomorrow night, thankfully! You?" Said Hermione.  
  
"Tonight!" Groaned Lavender.  
  
"Miss Brown! I cannot begin if you engage yourself in your own conversations all the time!" Said Professor McGonagall, peering sternly at Lavender over her glasses.  
  
"Sorry, professor," said Lavender meekly.  
  
Draco Malfoy turned and smirked at Lavender, earning himself a deadly glare from Hermione.  
  
"Prefects, you are to meet me here after the Great Feast and I will take you to your new dormitories. You will each have a room, and I would like to remind you that you are not to go to the rooms of the. Opposite gender. Is that understood?"  
  
Everyone, except Malfoy, who was smirking, nodded.  
  
"Good. You may return to the feast."  
  
Hermione turned and dragged her feet back to the Gryffindor table. She knew that she had to tell Ron now, or she would never find the right time. However, when she got back to her seat, she found Ron glaring angrily at her.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me earlier, Hemione?" There was anger and hurt mixed in his voice.  
  
"I- You. You were angry with Malfoy just now, and I didn't want to make you angry again. I'm sorry, Ron. Honest!"  
  
Ron narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Ginny put a hand over Hermione's clasped hands.  
  
"He'll get over it, Hermione. Don't worry. I'll talk to him later."  
  
"Thanks, Ginny," said Hermione, not able to stop her eyes from overflowing with tears.  
  
Hermione sighed. It was going to be a long year. 


	3. Apologies Accepted

Chapter 3  
  
Hermione hesitated briefly before entering the Gryffindor common room. She was wondering if it was a good idea to say goodbye to her friends, or would Ron stubbornly misinterpret it, and start yet another fight with her. And recently, it seemed to Hermione that almost all she and Ron did lately was fight. It didn't matter what happened, or what was wrong. Ron just picked a fight as and when he liked. However, Hermione told herself that even if it wasn't for him, she still had other people to bid goodbye before she spent the rest of the year in her new dormitories.  
  
Oh, the dormitories were better than the common room. The big comfy couches by the warm, blazing fireplace was a good place, Hermione had decided almost the moment she saw it, for reading. And there was a large polished wooden desk in the main room, where their future meetings would probably be held. In her new room, which was all hers, a large four-poster sat, invitingly, tempting her to jump right into bed and fall asleep. A bookshelf was put above her desk, where she could arrange her reference books carefully in the systematic way she nearly always did. Her oak- finished wardrobe was big and spacious, and it was almost a relief that she didn't have to cram her spare things into her trunk. Reluctant as she was to admit it, she was still glad she was a prefect.  
  
When she got into the common room with the help of a second-year, she walked briskly into the common room, where she knew her friends would be sitting and bingeing on whatever Harry had left over from the train ride. She was right. And it didn't surprise her to see Ginny sitting on a one- seater couch, her nose in her Transfiguration book.  
  
As she was about to call out to her friends, Ginny looked up and said happily in a loud voice, "Hey, guys! Look who's here!"  
  
Harry, Dean, Seamus and the other Gryffindors who were there smiled pleasantly, while Ron just pretended he hadn't seen her and asked Harry to please pass the chocolate frogs.  
  
Ginny frowned at her brother, and walked up to Hermione. "Sorry," she whispered, looking put-down. "Harry and I tried, but you know how Ron is."  
  
Hermione smiled gratefully at her friend, for her efforts. "It's all right, Ginny. I'll just have a talk with him later on."  
  
"So, what are you here for?" Asked Ginny.  
  
"Last goodbye before I'm off to my new quarters. I'll take you there soon. You'll love the peace there!" Answered Hermione, casting a half-exasperated glance in Ron's direction.  
  
Taking a deep breath, she walked up to Harry and his friends and begin to speak. "So, guys. I guess this is it. This is going to be the last time I ever work here, so this is er. Goodbye."  
  
Then, Hermione gave Harry a hug. Uncertain, Harry hugged Hermione back. Ron looked at Hermione, half-wishing she'd hug him too. When she turned to him, he thought his wish had coe true. However she did not bend to give him a hug.  
  
"Ron, can I talk to you outside? It'll be just a while, I promise!"  
  
Ron looked coldly at Hermione. "There is nothing to talk about, Hermione."  
  
"Ron. Please!" Said Hermione, feeling her tears getting ready for a shower.  
  
Ron looked at Harry, who nodded at him, frowning.  
  
"Well, fine. But just 5 minutes. No more!" Said Ron.  
  
Hermione smiled, relieved. "Thanks Ron!" Then she turned to Ginny and hugged her.  
  
When she and Ron were alone outside, Hermione began to feel nervous. "Er. Ron, I just wanted to apologize, though I'm not exactly sure what I'm apologizing for, but. Oh, well. I -."  
  
"It's okay," said Ron shortly.  
  
"Oh, Ron!" Cried Hermione, throwing her arms around him. "Thanks! I knew you'd understand!" She pulled away from her friend. "Well, then. Goodbye, Ron. See you in class!"  
  
With that, she turned and skipped off, her heart considerably lighter. 


	4. What's Going On?

Chapter 4  
  
Hermione sighed deeply and sank into a couch in the Prefects' common room. The other prefects were nowhere in sight, and Hermione suspected they had gone to bid their houses goodbye too. Undoing the clasps of her school robe, and hanging it on the back of a chair, Hermione took out her Potions textbook and did some revision, though she knew exactly what was inside the book. 10 minutes into her revision, the other prefects came into the common room.  
  
"Hermione!" Cried Lavender, in disbelief. "Where were you?"  
  
"Me? I was saying bye to the Gryffindors, Lavender. What's wrong?" Hermione asked as some of the prefects excused them selves.  
  
"What's wrong?" Gasped Justin, turning back to face her. "You weren't at the Prefect meeting, that's what's wrong!"  
  
"Prefect meeting?" Repeated Hermione, stunned. "No one told me anything about a meeting!"  
  
"No one?" Said Cho Chang, the Head girl. "I personally sent Malf- Draco, to tell you, Hermione."  
  
Hermione turned to Draco, shock in her wide eyes, and caught the smug look on his face fading away when Cho mentioned his name.  
  
"I, am very sure that Malfoy," said Hermione, spitting out his name like it was a deadly venom, "did not inform me of this meeting."  
  
"Draco!" Cried Cho, frowning at the pale boy. "If you didn't tell Hermione, why were you gone so long?"  
  
Draco's smug look returned, as he answered Cho coolly. "Slipped my mind I daresay."  
  
Cho sighed, shaking her head. "Never mind, Hermione, but I've got the change of duties for you. And I'll owl Professor McGonagall, so you don't worry." With that, she turned and headed up to her room.  
  
"Don't worry?" Echoed Hermione, turning upon her heel to face Draco who was still smirking at her. "Damn right, she is- DON'T WORRY!"  
  
Justin, Hannah and the others immediately excused them, sensing something bad coming up.  
  
"DRACO MALFOY! You got me into trouble!" Screeched Hermione, the Potions textbook lay forgotten at her feet.  
  
"Almost, Granger. Thank your lucky stars." Draco strode past her, making his way to his room.  
  
"Just WHERE are you going?" Said Hermione, feeling very angry.  
  
"Bed," said Draco shortly.  
  
Hermione pulled her wand from her belt. "Petrificus totalus!"  
  
Draco fell back, stiff as a board.  
  
Hermione bent over him, smirking. "How does it feel to be at the mercy of others, Malfoy?"  
  
Then she turned and walked up to her room. Halfway up the stairs, she pointed her wand over her shoulders and said the counter curse. Suddenly afraid that Draco would curse her, she ran up to her room, threw open the door and sealed it shut behind her.  
  
Back in the common room, Draco felt like kicking something. He looked angrily around at the common room for something he could blow up, when his cold gray eyes landed on Hermione's robe and Potions textbook. Then, for no apparent reason, he felt his anger begin to ebb away, despite himself. He took long strides to the chair, and pulled Hermione's robe off the chair. Not knowing why, he lifted her robe to his face and inhaled the faint scent off Hermione's robe. It was a scent he liked, and found familiar, but couldn't place his finger on.  
  
He was too engrossed in trying to figure out what the smell was, that he did not hear footsteps coming down the girls' staircase.  
  
"Malfoy!"  
  
Draco gave a start and turned around. When he saw Hermione, he immediately dropped her robe as if it had suddenly turned to hot coals.  
  
"What are you doing?" Said Hermione, rushing forward to retrieve her robe from his feet.  
  
"N-nothing," stammered Draco, not sounding like himself at all.  
  
"Nothing?" Repeated Hermione, looking at her robe to see if Draco had done any damage to it. "You were sniffing at my robe like a dog!"  
  
Draco knew he had to come out with the truth. "Well, I just thought that they smelt like something familiar, but I can't remember what," he answered, looking Hermione in the eye as though daring her to laugh.  
  
Hermione broke eye contact when she went to pick up her Potions textbook, and laughed softly. "I don't think a mudblood would smell familiar, Malfoy," said Hermione.  
  
Draco could hear the hurt in her voice. He didn't know what to say, so all he told her was "Just call me Draco, all right. So I won't feel too bad about calling you mudblood." Draco felt like kicking himself. That was just about the nicest (and dumbest) thing he'd said to Hermione, but the hurt on her face had somehow affected him, and he felt that he had to take it upon himself to make her feel better.  
  
Hermione shrugged. "I never said you couldn't call me Hermione." Then, she turned and headed to the staircase. "Night, Malf- Draco."  
  
"Night, Gr- Hermione," Draco answered, then looked down at the carpeted floor, wondering why he wished he could make her smile, instead of letting her walk away with such pain on her face. 


	5. The Dream and What She Saw

Chapter 5  
  
The next morning, Hermione woke up to the sun shining full on her face. She glanced at the clock. She still had another hour to her first lesson. Then she snuggled deeper under the covers and tried to remember the dream she had the previous night. It was something she did almost every morning. Shutting her eyes, she thought back to one of the dreams she had.  
  
She remembered running and running blindly through the Forbidden Forest, when Firenze, the centaur, stopped her and told her to go back to the school, and she said no, she had to look for someone, though she did not know who, and ran on, Firenze behind her. She came to a clearing, and saw someone huddled on the ground. The person had a cloak on, back facing them. Hermione remembered rushing forward and throwing her arms around the person, when suddenly the cloak fell of the person's head. Hermione had gasped and pulled away when she saw it was Draco Malfoy. The next thing she knew, the scene had changed and Firenze was gone, leaving Draco and Hermione alone. They were standing on a huge cliff out at sea, a beautiful sunset painted across the sky above them.  
  
Draco had taken Hermione's hands into his, looked into her eyes and said softly, barely over the sound of the waves crashing against the rocky cliff, "There is something I need to tell you before I go."  
  
"Go where?" Called out Hermione, barely able to hear him, let alone her self.  
  
"I'll be going. Where, I don't know," he answered, "but there is something I need to tell you."  
  
"Tell me what?" Said Hermione, tears running down her face, without her knowing it.  
  
Before Draco could reply, a dark shadow had reached out from the blue sea, which was no longer calm, but trashing about like a wild beast in pain, and grabbed him. Hermione had screamed, when she too, was grabbed into the sea, but by a white creature. Then the dream ended.  
  
Hermione could make no sense of the dream. However, when she remembered the dream, she felt sad, and her stomach felt a little funny. It was as though... She was missing Draco, and would never see him again. Suddenly, a huge wave of panic rushed through her body. What if something HAD happened to Draco? Hermione threw the covers off her, jammed her feet into her soft, fluffy bedroom slippers, threw the door open, and ran down the stairs into the Prefects' common room. Almost all the Prefects were there, but no Draco.  
  
"Lavender, have you seen Malf- I mean, Draco?" Said Hermione, to her friend, who was stroking Crookshanks.  
  
"Draco?" Said Lavender raising an eyebrow. "No, I haven't."  
  
Panicking, Hermione raced up the boys' staircase and looked at each and every door to see which had Draco's name on it. Flushed, and flustered, she finally found his room right at the top of the tower. Without even bothering to knock, she gripped the polished brass doorknob and threw the door open.  
  
The sight that met her eyes made her blush.  
  
"Grang- Hermione!" Yelled Draco, using a blanket to cover himself up. He had just dropped his towel after his bath, when Hermione had burst in. "What are you doing?? Molest me with your eyes?" He yelled, when Hermione made no attempt to turn and leave him to put on his clothes.  
  
"S-sorry... I can explain," she whispered, taking a step forward.  
  
"NO! Later!" He said, letting his eyes take her flustered self in. Her face was flushed a deep red, and her wavy hair which was ruffled from sleep, was messed further when she had ran all the way up to his room. Her silk pajamas, which was royal blue, was rather tight. If it was any other girl, he would have tried to flirt, but with Hermione, he didn't want to hurt her like he had the previous years.  
  
"Okay," whispered Hermione, turning around.  
  
"NO!" Said Draco, changing his mind. "Stay. I want to know just why you burst in without KNOCKING. Just.... Just turn around.... No, why don't you get ready? I'll meet you down in the common room later. And please shut the door on your way out, thanks."  
  
"Draco Malfoy, you are very fickle for a male," said Hermione, getting her tongue back.  
  
"Whatever," he muttered. "Oh, and Hermione? I'd be grateful if you didn't mention whatever you saw to anyone."  
  
"I did not see anything!" Said Hermione adamantly, the red in her cheeks which was fading, coming back.  
  
Then, she turned and made her way back to her room to get ready for lessons, wondering how to explain her dream, which even seemed silly to her now. But she couldn't help picturing the wet blond hair, which had hung loosely around Draco's face, making him look more human. And she had to admit that Draco Malfoy did look good. Much better than she last remembered. 


	6. Sorry Doesn't Work

Thank you, to s_star, and nessie, my reviewers! And to the psychopeanut too...! Thanks a million!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 6  
  
"See," said Hermione, biting into the toast Draco had brought her from the Great Hall. "I had this dream, and I thought maybe you were in danger, or something."  
  
"A dream?" Repeated Draco, looking up at her from his porridge. "You came crashing into my room because of a dream?"  
  
Draco and Hermione were in the common room, seated across from each other at a long table.  
  
"Hey, I was just worried!" Said Hermione, and blushed.  
  
Draco laughed at the pink rising in her cheeks. "You're funny, Hermione. Some excuse to see me... Undressed? How could you?"  
  
Hermione nearly spat her chewed-up toast into his face. "Shut up, Draco! If you had had that dream, you wouldn't have that smug nothing on your face!"  
  
Draco was mildly curious. "Tell me about your 'dream'," he said.  
  
For the next five minutes, Hermione told him about her dream, and how afraid she was in it.  
  
"Do you think it means anything?" Asked Hermione, nibbling on her bottom lip.  
  
"Yes," said Draco in mock seriousness. "That soon, you'll fall madly in love with me, you can't bear to see some sea monster swallow me up."  
  
Hermione, annoyed that Draco did not take her seriously, stood up so fast that her chair fell over. "I am not going to waste my precious time talking to a know-it-all imbecile, Draco!" With that, Hermione snatched her Herbology books from the table and let herself out from the room leaving a very shocked Draco behind.  
  
  
  
Hermione ran all the way to the Gryffindor tower as she was about to give the password to the Fat Lady, the portrait swung open, missing her face by inches.  
  
"Hey, Hermione!" Said Ginny brightly. Behind her were Harry and Ron. "Join us? We're walking down together."  
  
Relieved at the sight of her friends, Hermione nodded, and said hello and good morning to Harry and Ron.  
  
"Have you been running?" Asked Ron, observing her sweaty face, red cheeks and tousled hair.  
  
"Yeah," answered Hermione, still catching her breath.  
  
"Why?" Said Harry, offering to hold her books for her while she tidied herself up.  
  
"Thanks, Harry," she said, ignoring his question, and handed him her books.  
  
"Why were you running?" Repeated Ron, keen to find out why she was flustered.  
  
"Long story," said Hermione shortly. "Tell you at lunch."  
  
Ron opened his mouth to argue, but Ginny silenced him with a look.  
  
"So, Hermione, what did you do to you hair?" Said Ginny, starting up a conversation. "Why is it straighter than we remember? Magic?"  
  
"No. It just began to straighten out from last year," she answered, taking her books from Harry. "So, how's the common room without me around?"  
  
"Peaceful," muttered Ron.  
  
Hermione ignored him.  
  
"Well," said Harry honestly, "it would've been better if you were there, Hermione. But really, you usually have a nose in a book. So the noise level was barely any difference."  
  
"Unless you're talking about Lavender and Parvati," giggled Ginny.  
  
When they reached a corridor, they said goodbye to Ginny and started down a flight of stairs and made their way to the greenhouses, where Professor Sprout was there early, to bring in a new plant. Most of the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors were there, so Harry, Ron and Hermione quickly joined the class, settled down and began to listen to Professor Sprout telling them the use of her new plant, the Dragonora.  
  
  
  
At lunch, Hermione told Harry and Ron, who were sitting across from her, about her dream.  
  
Harry, who had similar disturbing dreams, asked, "Do you think it means anything?"  
  
However, Ron simply retorted, "Honestly, I don't know why you bothered, Hermione. That scum deserves to drown in a black sea monsters throat, eh Harry?"  
  
Hermione frowned at Ron. "He's still got a bit of human in him, Ronald Weasley. And if you must know, he was even nice enough to ask me to call him Draco!"  
  
"He's just got other intentions, Herm!" Said Ron, through a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "How could you be so thick for a know-it-all? You never know what that slime is up to!"  
  
"He's human too, Ron!" Said Hermione, her voice going up a little.  
  
"Hey!" Interrupted Harry. "Want to read the letter Snuffles sent me this morning?"  
  
"He sent you a letter?" Repeated Ron blankly. "You didn't tell me!"  
  
"Yeah, well I was waiting both of you could read it together. Anyway, here it is," said Harry slipping a rolled piece of parchment onto the table. "He said he had some 'serious business' to deal with. And I don't know if it has anything to do with Voldemort. It's funny how we can't find Pettigrew either!"  
  
"Do you think Pettigrew is Voldemort's secret keeper?" Asked Ron.  
  
"Oh, Ron, use your head! Do you think that cowardly no-good can be trusted? Look what he did with..." Hermione trailed off. "Sorry, Harry," she whispered.  
  
Harry shook his head. "It's okay. But what Ron said could be a possibility."  
  
Ron gave Hermione an 'I-told-you-so' look.  
  
Harry stood up and picked up his things. "I'm going back to our Common Room. I need to think this over," he said, gathering his things.  
  
"No, wait! Why don't you come and see my Common Room?" Asked Hermione. "Go grab your stuff, and meet me outside the transfiguration classroom."  
  
"But-."  
  
"No buts, Harry. You and Ron know there's nothing to think about for now. We've still got 20 minutes..."  
  
"She's right, Harry. We should just take it easy," said Ron, not wanting to waste time in their Common Room. Hermione was right, as usual. There was nothing they could do.  
  
Harry gave in, and Hermione was satisfied. "Good. Meet me in five minutes time. Don't be late!" Then, she picked up her books and quills and left the Great Hall.  
  
As she reached outside of the Great Hall, Draco stopped her. "Hermione, wait! There's something I-."  
  
"There's nothing you need to tell me, Draco," she said, the annoyance and anger in her voice was clear. "Ron was right," she said, turning to leave.  
  
"No!" Said Draco, reaching out and taking hold of Hermione's right arm. "I must... Apologize! Please!"  
  
Hermione threw Draco's hand of her arm. "For what?" she said, turning around to face him. "For not taking my concern for you seriously? Bug OFF, Draco! I don't want to listen to your lame excuses! Now, if you'd excuse me, I'd like to meet my FRIENDS."  
  
Hermione turned and began to run, but Draco caught up with her. "Hermione!" He grabbed her arm again.  
  
"LET ME GO, DRACO MALFOY!" Yelled Hermione, running even faster.  
  
"Miss Granger! Mr Malfoy!"  
  
Hermione and Draco stopped running. They saw Professor McGonagall standing in the door way of an old classroom, with her arms crossed. "What is the meaning of this?"  
  
"Professor, I-," started Hermione.  
  
"Mr Malfoy, explain yourself! What were you doing, playing catch with Miss Granger along the corridor at lunch?" Said the professor sternly.  
  
"I was not playing catch, professor!" Said Draco indignantly. "I just wanted to... Talk to her about... Something, but-."  
  
Professor McGonagall waited for him to go on.  
  
"I don't know," he said finally.  
  
Professor McGonagall, who was busy preparing for her next class, decided to let them off with a warning. "But I do not wish to see you two prefects running like barbaric creatures down corridors OR anywhere, for that matter!"  
  
Hermione opened her mouth, but shut it again. Then, with a death glare at Draco, she turned and strode back to the Common Room, wondering which was the best hex to put on him that evening, after dinner. Then, realizing she was running late, she jogged to the transfiguration classroom, wondering if Ron was preparing another round of third degree for her. 


	7. A Miracle?

Chapter 7  
  
Ron fidgeted. "Where IS Hermione?" He said aloud.  
  
Harry shrugged. Maybe Malfoy is giving her trouble or-."  
  
"If he does, I'll-."  
  
"Maybe he isn't, Ron," interrupted Harry, not really wanting to hear Ron's plans to murder Malfoy, tempting as it was.  
  
Just as Ron was about to launch into another round of grumbling, they saw Hermione run up to them.  
  
"S-sorry I'm late! Had some trouble," she said.  
  
"Trouble?" Asked Harry.  
  
"Er, yeah. Draco wanted to apologize, and when I ran off, he grabbed me, and McGonagall heard me yelling at him," said Hermione, gesturing them to follow her.  
  
"He grabbed you?" Repeated Ron, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"NOT in that way, Ron. He just grabbed my arm," said Hermione, leading them up a flight of stairs.  
  
"Did McGonagall give you detention?" Said Harry, almost having to jog to keep up with Hermione.  
  
"No," said Hermione, grinning. "She let us off with a warning!"  
  
"A warning?" Said Ron, awestruck. "Wow, Hermione! I guess it does pay to be a prefect, after all!"  
  
Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes. "She was busy, Ron," she said, pointedly.  
  
Before Ron could say anything, they had stopped outside a portrait of a scenic view of a window at sunset. A girl sat on the floor of the painting, playing. When she saw the three, she looked up.  
  
"Hi," she said shyly. " Password?"  
  
"Midnight sky," said Hermione promptly.  
  
Smiling, the girl swung forward on her hinges and let them in. 


	8. Another Fight

Chapter 8  
  
"Whoa!" Said Ron, stepping into the prefects' common room. "This is bloody brilliant!"  
  
Hermione smiled at the obvious envy on his face.  
  
"How many prefects share this room, Hermione?" Asked Harry, as he and Hermione watched Ron test out all the couches in the common room.  
  
"There's about an average of 5 prefects from each house, plus the head boy and girl, so that's about twenty people or so," answered Hermione. "Want to see my room?"  
  
"Your room?" said Ron, leaning back into a couch and staring at Hermione. "Your very own room?"  
  
Hermione laughed. "Yeah."  
  
"Whatever were they thinking?" Said Ron, much to Harry and Hermione's surprise.  
  
"What do you mean, Ron?" Harry asked, settling himself in the couch opposite Ron's. He put his books on the wooden coffee table in between their couches.  
  
"Well, it'll be... Private, and..." Ron went red and was unable to continue.  
  
Hermione, however, understood what he was trying to say. "That we can spend the night at each other's rooms? As in, girls with the boys and vice versa?" She sat down next to Harry. "Ron, don't be so thick!" She said, a smile crinkling her eyes. "Of course we can't! McGonagall gave us rules on our first night!"  
  
"Good," mumbled Ron.  
  
"Take us to your room, Hermione," said Harry standing up.  
  
Just as they were about to ascend the staircase, the portrait swung open and Draco Malfoy swaggered in. "Entertaining Potty and Weasel already, Gra- Hermione?"  
  
"Ignore him," whispered Hermione, as Ron opened his mouth to insult Draco.  
  
"Oh, well," continued Draco, "I won't be disturbing you then... Have fun!"  
  
Ron had had enough. He turned and began to stride over to where Draco was standing with a smirk all over his pale face. Hermione and Harry reached out and took a firm hold of Ron's robe.  
  
"Ron!" Hissed Hermione. "No!"  
  
"Yeah, weasel. Listen to your girlfriend," drawled Draco; clearly enjoying how angry he was making Ron.  
  
"I am NOT his girlfriend, Draco Malfoy! Shut up!" Snapped Hermione.  
  
Ron struggled against his friends.  
  
"Come and get me, Weasel. I'm scared!"  
  
Ron wriggled out of his robes and made a dash for Draco.  
  
Hermione had to act fast, or risk Ron getting a detention. "Petrificus totalus!" Cried Hermione, pointing her wand at Ron.  
  
"Hermione!" Said Harry, running to Ron's stiff form on the floor.  
  
"What?" Snapped Hermione. "Can't you see you're getting me into trouble? Never mind Draco!"  
  
Harry freed Ron from the full-body bind and helped him to his feet.  
  
"Hermione!" Yelled Ron angrily. "What's the matter with you?!"  
  
Then he turned, pushed past Draco, and let himself out of the common room.  
  
"I'll go after him," said Harry to Hermione. "You grab our books. See you in potions in five minutes!" Then, he turned and ran after Ron.  
  
Hermione, confused and hurt, sank down to the floor. Why did she bother to protect Draco? Did he deserve it? He was a Malfoy, so why was she trying to help him?  
  
"Hermione?" Said Draco, bending down and resting a hand on her shoulders. "Are you -?"  
  
"What do you think, Draco Malfoy?" She snarled, shrugging his hand off her shoulder. "And what do you care, anyway?"  
  
Draco winced at her cold and harsh tone. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I... I thought I was just having fun..."  
  
"Fun?" Repeated Hermione. "FUN?! At the expense of my friends and me? My BEST friends for that matter, Draco!"  
  
"Really, I-..."  
  
"I don't want to hear it, Draco. Sorry is just a word. So save it! Besides, I highly doubt you mean it, Malfoy!"  
  
Draco grimaced when Hermione called him Malfoy. What had he done?  
  
As he could do nothing, he watched helplessly as Hermione ran up to her room, came down a while later with her potions textbook and ingredients, grab Harry and Ron's things and run out of the common room.  
  
Draco shook his head sadly as he made his way up to his room slowly. Snape favoured him, and would not give him a detention even if he skipped class.  
  
"I shouldn't have insulted them," said Draco ruefully to himself. "Me and my big mouth."  
  
Before he could go on, he caught himself. "Wait... Why am I being nice to Herm- Granger and her friends? I'm a Malfoy..." Draco stopped. Then he resumed ascending the steps. "Oh, Malfoy schmalfoy... It's just a name... A name to 'uphold'..."  
  
Draco was still pondering over this when he reached potions. Why was he being civil- if not nice- to Hermione? 


	9. Try Again

This is to kris10michelle, psychopeanut, nessie, s_star and obsessed.... Thanks for reviewing! Cheers!  
  
Chapter 9  
  
All through potions, Draco kept shooting worried glances at Hermione, who was clearly ignoring everyone except Harry. Finally, he made up his mind to convince her that he was sincere in his apologies.  
  
He knew that he and Hermione had their duties that evening after dinner, and he would try talking to her then.  
  
So, after dinner, when he saw Hermione leave the Great Hall, he excused himself, and left after her.  
  
"Hermione! Where do you want to patrol first?" Called Draco, hurrying to catch up with her.  
  
"Dungeons," she answered, not stopping, slowing down or turning back.  
  
Draco caught up with her and did not say anything as they made their way down to the dungeons.  
  
For a long while, neither made any attempt to converse with the other.  
  
Finally, when they passed by the hospital wing, Draco decided to break the ice.  
  
"How's.... Things between you and Ron?" He asked, staring straight ahead.  
  
Hermione stopped and turned to look at him. "Do you think we kissed and made up? He's not talking to me, no thanks to you!" Snapped Hermione, and walked briskly ahead of Draco, who had stopped walking when she had.  
  
Draco hurried along. "Hermione, I'm really sorry. Please, I really mean it," he said, stopping.  
  
Hermione stopped again, turned to face him, and rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah? And prove it!" She said, narrowing her eyes.  
  
"You asked for it," said Draco, walking up to her. He put his hands on her shoulders, closed his silvery-blue eyes and leant forward.  
  
Hermione pushed him away. "Just what are you trying to do? You think everything will be resolved just because of a KISS? Grow up, Malfoy!" She snarled, and began to run.  
  
Draco followed her blindly, running through dark empty classrooms, up dimly lit stairs and down corridors, which were dead quiet.  
  
Finally, Hermione came to an oak door. She threw the door open, and ran in. Draco, panting behind her, realized that he was at the astronomy tower.  
  
Quietly, he pushed the door open, and walked in. "Hermione?" He called out softly. Hermione was kneeling on a bench behind the window, her back to him. In the dim glow of the torches, he could see Hermione's shoulder's heaving with her quiet sobs.  
  
"Go away. Just stay AWAY from me, Malfoy!" Said Hermione.  
  
"Hermione, please! I -."  
  
"No, Malfoy! You don't understand! Ron is my best friend. Even if we fight half the time, he's still someone special to me."  
  
A hand clenched around Draco's heart when Hermione said that Ron was 'someone special'. Ignoring it, he walked up slowly to Hermione, and slowly put an arm around her. Although she shivered, she made no attempt to push him away.  
  
"Cold?" He whispered, taking off his dark green cloak and throwing it around her shoulders. He put his arms around her, and pulled her closer to him.  
  
Hermione inhaled the faint scent from his cloak. Somehow, it reassured her, and calmed her. However, when a cold wind blew in though the arched stone window, and Draco's warmth was there, warming her, she remembered why she was at the tower. Snapping back to reality, she pushed Draco away, the comforting warmth against her evaporating into the cold night.  
  
"Hermione..." Draco said, holding her shoulders firmly, and looking into her teary eyes. "Please... Give me a chance to talk to you."  
  
Hermione, half-wishing she had not pushed him away, gave in. Somehow, she couldn't bear to see his eyes full of hurt, pain and regret.  
  
"Listen, I'm really sorry about what happened in the common room... I didn't mean to hurt you, or start a fight between you and Ron. I wasn't using my head."  
  
Hermione sniffed. "You don't use it often, Malf- Draco."  
  
"I know," said Draco, smiling sadly. "My father gives the orders, I take it. No questions asked."  
  
Hermione softened a little. "Is your father... Well' really that...?"  
  
"Yes," whispered Draco. "But he can be worst. He's harsh, cruel and domineering. He loves my mother, but he's got a strong hold over her."  
  
Hermione's eyes were worried. "I'm sorry, Draco. I-I didn't know..."  
  
"No one does," said Draco softly.  
  
Then slowly, he leant down, towards Hermione. Just as he was about to place a kiss on her lips, Hermione turned away.  
  
"I'm sorry, Draco. This is too fast. I know you're being nice to me and all, but it's not easy to forget what you've done to me and my friends those past 5 years," she said. "Sorry."  
  
Then, she turned and ran, never stopping, till she reached her room. Locking herself in, she threw herself on the bed, and reflected on the day's events, silent tears flowing down her cheeks.  
  
As she fell asleep, the last thoughts on her mind was Draco, and the way he had treated her earlier on. 


	10. Friends

This is for Kris10michelle (by any chance, is your name Kristen?), Psychopeanut, Nessie, S_star, Obsessed and Ariel.... Thanks for reviewing! Cheers! And for Jenny Prawn, my best friend, next to Psychopeanut (!!)...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 10  
  
"Hagrid, she's unbelievable!" Fumed Ron. He was pacing Hagrid's cabin the next afternoon, during lunch. "I can't believe she'd put a body-bind on me, just to save that slime ball Malfoy!"  
  
"It was for tha' best, Ron," said Hagrid, pouring out some hot into three teacups. "Hermione knows wha' she was doin'."  
  
"But Hagrid!"  
  
"I know Hermione, Ron. She acted for tha' best. She's a prefect now, an' she's got a lot ta responsibilities," said Hagrid. "So, Harry," said Hagrid, before Ron could argue. "How's the quidditch season comin' along?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "As usual. Practices start tomorrow."  
  
"Be careful, Harry. You-know-who is somewhere out there, and he migh' try ta harm you. Is Madam Hooch still goin' ta watch yer practices?"  
  
Before Harry could answer, there was a knock on the door. Harry and Ron looked at each other and shrugged, as Hagrid rose to open the door.  
  
"Oh, good afternoon, Hermione," they heard Hagrid say.  
  
Ron stiffened, and Harry whispered, "Look natural, Ron!"  
  
"Professor Flitwick asked me to send these to you. He said it was for your cabbages," Hermione said.  
  
"Thanks, Hermione. Bin' waitin' fer this fer some time," said Hagrid, taking the wrapped bundle from her. "Have yer had yer lunch? I'm just puttin' out some cakes... Oh, no, Madam Maxime sent 'em. Good, come on in..."  
  
"Is anyone here?" They heard Hermione ask.  
  
"Yes, Harry an' Ron, Hermione," Hagrid answered.  
  
"Oh, then I guess I'd better be going," said Hermione.  
  
Ron let out a sigh of relief.  
  
But Hagrid had shut the door. "No," he said firmly. "Yer must taste the cakes! An' yer can't hide from Ron forever."  
  
"But -."  
  
Hagrid gave Hermione a gentle push towards where Harry and Ron were seated.  
  
"Hi, Hermione," said Harry, when he saw her.  
  
"Hi, Harry... Hey Ron..." She said, taking off her school robe.  
  
Ron didn't answer. Harry nudged him.  
  
"Hey," said Ron, looking out the window.  
  
"Have a seat, Hermione," said Hagrid. As Hermione pulled out a chair, Hagrid stopped her. "No, sit here, Hermione. Next to Ron."  
  
Hermione and Ron went red. "NO, Hagrid," they said in unison.  
  
Hagrid looked at Ron and Hermione firmly over his beard. "No?"  
  
Hermione sighed in defeat, and reluctantly sat next to Ron, who moved to sit closer to Harry, who stubbornly refused to budge.  
  
"Here," said Hagrid holding out a plate on which big slices of the most delicious cakes imaginable sat. "Try 'em."  
  
"Are they... Magic? Do they hop in our stomachs or anything?" Asked Hermione, eyeing them skeptically.  
  
"Hermione, are you training to be an auror, or anything?" Said Ron, before he could think.  
  
Hermione pretended not to hear him and repeated her question to Hagrid.  
  
"Well, I don' know," admitted Hagrid. "Why don' yer try 'em fer yerself an' tell me?" He said, winking down at them.  
  
"Well, Hagrid, -," started Harry, but was interrupted by a few knocks on the door.  
  
"Eat," said Hagrid, putting the plate in front of them, and went to the door.  
  
"Well, you first," said Ron to Hermione. "Ladies first."  
  
"Yeah, and if I land in the hospital wing tonight, Ron, do send me a bouquet of flowers as big as you can find, okay? And if I die -."  
  
"Certainly, you won't, Miss Granger. Suppose I try them first?"  
  
The three of them turned and saw Professor Dumbledore standing next to Hagrid, a smile on his face.  
  
"Professor," they said, jumping to their feet.  
  
"Well, good afternoon. I would like to talk to Hagrid about some pressing matters, and besides, it's almost time for your next lesson, so would you be so kind as to run along? Perhaps you can save those delicious cakes for tea?"  
  
"Yes, professor," they chorused, somewhat relieved to have an excuse not to try Hagrid's cakes.  
  
"Ron," muttered Harry under his breath. "Why don't you apologize to Hermione now? Hagrid was right, you know."  
  
"No way!" Hissed Ron, watching as Hermione quickened her pace, and overtook them.  
  
"Ron, please! Don't put her through this!"  
  
"Oh, since when did you care so much about Hermione, eh, Harry? Or is there something you're not telling me?"  
  
"Oh, bug off, Ron! You know it's pointless to fight with her? Why can't you just respect her?"  
  
"What? Respect someone who gave me bruises in four different places?"  
  
"She did it for your sake! You know it! If she hadn't, you know you would've gotten into a detention, if you'd showed up at potions with a bloody lip!" Argued Harry.  
  
"Harry, I really don't think -."  
  
"I do. Now GO!" Urged Harry, pushing Ron ahead.  
  
Turning one last time to glare at Harry, he sped up and called out to Hermione.  
  
"What?" She called back, slowing down a little.  
  
"I want to talk to you. Can you spare me a minute?" He asked.  
  
Hermione stopped walking, and Ron walked up to her. "Sorry, Hermione."  
  
"You don't have to apologize if you don't want to, Ron. Especially since Harry put you up to it." Hermione turned away.  
  
"Come on, Hermione," said Harry gently. "Let's not fight, shall we?"  
  
Hermione frowned. "I never said we were fighting, did I?"  
  
"Does it mean...?" Said Ron.  
  
"Yes," answered Hermione, throwing her arms around him. "Oh, I'M sorry, Ron! I was such a git! I could've used the leg-locker curse, but I panicked!"  
  
Ron awkwardly peeled Hermione's arms off him. "Well, friends, yeah?"  
  
"Friends!" Agreed Hermione, as the three of them fell into step and walked back to the castle.  
  
From the owlry that overlooked the grounds, Draco Malfoy stood, watching everything that happened, replaying every scene in his mind. Especially the scene when Hermione threw her arms around Ron. Why? They were just friends, weren't they? So why did he care whether Hermione hugged Ron or not. She could kiss every guy in the school and he wouldn't care less... Would he? 


	11. Finally

Happy Christmas to all my reviewers and to YOU, the one reading this!! ;)  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 11  
  
"Ron, Harry, can we PLEASE go now?" Begged Hermione.  
  
She, Harry and Ron were in Hogsmeade, and the first shop they had headed to was Zonko's. They had been in there for twenty minutes, and they were still reluctant to leave.  
  
"Patience is a virtue, Herm," said Ron, closely inspecting a bottle of reddish-blue liquid.  
  
"Listen," said Harry, "Why don't you wait for us at the Three Broomsticks? Save us a table. We'll be there soon."  
  
"Okay," huffed Hermione, totally put off. "But HURRY!" Then, she turned and walked down the path to the Three Broomsticks.  
  
When she entered, she could see that the place was rather crowded. Since there was no table for three, she settled in a table for four. Then, she called for three butterbeers, and sipped hers slowly, while looking around. Next to her table, were a few Hufflepuff third-year girls, immersed in gossip. All around, she could see people talking, and laughing. The atmosphere was rather homely. Hermione looked to her left, in the direction of the entrance, to see if Harry and Ron had arrived. Instead of a dark- haired and a red-haired boy, she caught a glimpse of a blond haired boy.  
  
Hermione sighed, and tried to make herself invisible. "Three guesses who that is," she muttered to herself, wishing that her friends would come in, so she'd be spared the agony of talking to Draco.  
  
It was three days after she and Ron had made up, and she didn't want to fight with him again because of Draco. It wasn't as if he had tried to get back at Hermione. On the contrary, he was still talking to her, borrowing and lending his notes, and talking about anything he wanted to. And no matter how Hermione tried to ignore him, the more he tried to make his presence seen and heard.  
  
"Excuse me," a silky voice said.  
  
Hermione winced. It was Draco.  
  
"Is anyone sitting here?"  
  
"Yes," answered Hermione, not looking up.  
  
"Oh, well." Draco slid into the seat beside Hermione, who looked furiously at him.  
  
"I said these seats are taken!" Said Hermione, feeling hot with anger.  
  
"Didn't you hear what she said, Malfoy? They're taken!"  
  
Hermione and Draco turned, and saw Ginny standing there, glaring at him.  
  
"I believe Harry and my brother are coming soon, and I don't fancy sitting on your lap, Malfoy," she said, her glare unwavering. "Move over," she said. "Or better. Move OFF!"  
  
"Ooh, the little Weasel girl's grown up now, hasn't she? Potty's courage and bravery must've finally worn off onto you, has it?" Said Draco standing up and looking down at Ginny.  
  
"Draco," pleaded Hermione, seeing Harry and Ron squeezing in through the crowd near the entrance. "Please! Just go! I'll- I'll talk to you later... Please!"  
  
Draco at the entrance, saw Harry and Ron looked at her and smirked with a smile. "Good. Later, Hermione."  
  
Then, with a swish of his cloak, he turned and headed for the entrance. Along the way, Ginny, who had taken Draco's place, and Hermione, saw Draco bump into Harry and Ron. The boys exchanged some words, which must have been nasty, especially coming from Draco, as Ron's face went red, and then Draco swept outside and met up with Crabbe and Goyle.  
  
"Stupid git, that Malfoy," fumed Ron, as he sat opposite his sister, leaving Harry to sit next to Ginny, who went furiously red.  
  
"Hi, Ginny," said Harry.  
  
"Hi," Ginny said, looking at the table.  
  
"Oh, Ron, put a sock in it! Drink your butterbeer and shut it!" Said Hermione, wanting some peace.  
  
Ron pushed his untouched drink to Ginny. "You can have it. I'm not thirsty."  
  
"Really?" Said Hermione, secretly eyeing Ginny, who was stealing glance at Harry, who was waving to Dean and Seamus. "Good, then. Would you accompany me for a moment? I'd like to get some sweets."  
  
"Sweets? Get them later, Hermione! I don't want to see Malfoy's face just yet!"  
  
"PLEASE, Ron?" Said Hermione, pointedly nudging her head at Ginny, who was still looking at Harry with a smitten look in her eyes.  
  
"Oh- Er, okay, Hermione. Harry? Hermione and I are going to get some sweets. Would you mind waiting with my sister?" Said Ron, catching on.  
  
"Oh, no problem," said Harry, smiling warmly at Ginny. "We'll just wait here for you two."  
  
Ginny looked at Hermione with her eyes wide open. 'How could you?' Her eyes were saying.  
  
Hermione merely smiled, took Ron's arm, and led him out of the Three Broomsticks.  
  
Outside, Hermione turned to Ron, and saw his face was red. "What's up with you?" Said Hermione, puzzled.  
  
"N-nothing," stuttered Ron, rubbing the spot on his arm, which Hermione had been holding a while ago.  
  
"What," said Hermione laughing. "I hold your arm for a while and you go red? Oh, you're weird, Ron! Oh, come on, anyway. Let's go!"  
  
Ron, still red, followed Hermione into Honeydukes.  
  
"Well, we'll just look around. I know what I want to get, so I'll just make my purchases before we leave. Is that okay with you, Ron?" Said Hermione, reaching for a box of sugar quills.  
  
"Why do you want to spend so much time here?" Said Ron.  
  
"Well, let's just say that I want two 'someones' to get to know each other just a little better," said Hermione, a hint of a twinkle in her eyes.  
  
  
  
Back in the Three Broomsticks, just after Ron and Hermione left, Ginny was slowly sipping the butterbeer Ron had left her, and waited for Harry to talk to her. When Hermione had purposely left her and Harry alone to 'do some shopping', Ginny had panicked. What if she got tongue-tied in front of Harry, and couldn't answer him? However, she thought, it wasn't so bad, as Harry seemed to be caught up in looking at a group of seventh-year Ravenclaws, among where Cho Chang was seated.  
  
"So, Ginny," said Harry, as Ginny was trying to sip her butterbeer carefully so as not to dribble any down her chin, "how's school?" He said, sounding a little awkward.  
  
"Er- it's okay, I guess. You?"  
  
"Well, eventful, I should say," said Harry, smiling. He was trying as hard as he could to make Ginny comfortable. He could see she was rather shy. "Any... Particularly close male friends?"  
  
"No," said Ginny, suddenly feeling very, very shy. Harry must be thinking that she was still waiting for him after all these years. And what was the truth? She was.  
  
"Oh," said Harry, turning red, and looking over at the table of Ravenclaw girls again.  
  
Ginny didn't know what to say. "Do you like really like Cho?" She blurted out. Then, she turned scarlet. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to -."  
  
"No," Harry interrupted. "It's okay. It's good you asked, anyway. But I don't like Cho in that way. She's just someone I... Admire. That's all."  
  
"Oh" was all Ginny could say.  
  
Harry noticed she looked relieved, and said so.  
  
"Oh, n-nothing," stammered Ginny, feeling very small. 'Oh, Hermione,' she thought, 'where are you? Please come back!' "J-just...." Ginny looked down at her drink at stirred it around for a bit.  
  
Harry put an arm gently around her shoulders, much to her surprise. He leant a little closer to her. "Is there anything you might want to let me know, Ginny?" He said gently. His voice was low, gentle and reassuring, and not demanding.  
  
"W-well," said Ginny, trying to clear her mind, and think fast. But Harry's hand rested casually around her shoulders, made her thoughts cloudy. He was the first boy, apart from her brothers to do that, and Ginny had to admit that she liked it.  
  
"Yes?" Said Harry, his eyes wide with sincere concern.  
  
"No, I-I... Can I tell you another time? Perhaps later?" Said Ginny, getting lost in his eyes.  
  
"Hmmm... What about ten thirty at the astronomy tower tonight? Is that okay?" He said, turning to the entrance, and saw Hermione and Ron there, talking to Lavender. He put both his hands on the table in front of him.  
  
"Yes," whispered Ginny, wondering if she was dreaming. "That's fine."  
  
"Okay," said Harry, "it's a date."  
  
Ginny's stomach fluttered, and her heart raced wildly, when Harry said it was a date. What did he mean?  
  
Ginny thought she must have been blushing as Ron said, "What happened to you?" when he and Hermione sat down. "You're red all over!"  
  
"Oh... It's just..." Ginny didn't know what to say.  
  
"We're both rather warm. Don't you think it's rather hot and stuffy in here?" Said Harry quickly.  
  
Ginny smiled gratefully at him.  
  
"Well, in that case, let's head back to school," said Hermione, smiling secretly at Ginny. "Let's watch Harry and Ron play muggle chess. How about that?"  
  
"Muggle chess?" Said Ron. "Well, okay. I'll give it a try."  
  
"You're on!" Said Harry, standing up. Then, the two boys led the way, with the girls at the back, Ginny telling Hermione everything, except her meeting Harry that night.  
  
Then, all of a sudden, a million and one thoughts flew through her mind. What to wear? Whether to be early, punctual or 'fashionably late'? What to say? How to act? Maybe telling Hermione was necessary, after all... 


	12. What Was That?

To my sister... Happy belated 9th birthday! And everyone who is reading this! Thanks! You give me the will to go on writing!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Hermione looked at her watch. Ginny was late. She was standing in front of the portrait outside the prefects' quarters. She had promised to help Ginny with whatever she could, for her meeting with Harry. When Ginny told her what Harry said, she would've danced for joy, but the thought of talking to Draco later on, totally put her off.  
  
"Hermione!"  
  
Hermione's head snapped up. She saw the red-haired girl running towards her.  
  
"You're late!" Said Hermione accusingly.  
  
"Sorry! Ron kept asking me where I was going, until Harry said that I was going over some homework with you," said Ginny apologetically.  
  
Hermione smiled. Harry was definitely treating Ginny much better this year. "You've got everything?"  
  
"Yes," said Ginny.  
  
Then, Hermione turned to the portrait and gave the password.  
  
"Wow!" Was all Ginny could say when they entered the prefects' common room.  
  
"No time to show you around now," said Hermione. "It's already a quarter to ten. I'll do it another day."  
  
Then, she took Ginny firmly by her arm, ignoring Draco's stare, and dragged her up to her room.  
  
"This is a really nice room, Hermione," said Ginny, as she put her bag down on Hermione's bed.  
  
"Thanks," said Hermione. "Well, let's get started. Did you bring everything?"  
  
"Not everything, but the best of what I have," said Ginny, opening up her bag and began to pull out a few casual outfits. "Not all of them really match, but it's really the best I could find."  
  
"It's okay. You can always borrow some of mine," said Hermione. Then, she began to look through Ginny's clothes. "And of course, I'll just do you up a little."  
  
"Make up?" Said Ginny, looking at Hermione amazed. "I thought you didn't do make up!"  
  
Hermione blushed. "I don't. But there's that Valentine's, Halloween and Yule ball. My mother gave some to me. Said it was time I looked more lady- like. Anyway," said Hermione, not wanting to repeat everything her mother said, "I think I'll just put you in something warm, it's rather cold tonight."  
  
Hermione walked to her wardrobe and extracted a pink sweater from it. "Here, try this with your denim skirt," she said, holding out the sweater to her friend.  
  
Ginny obediently put it on, very glad that she had asked Hermione for help. "Well," she said, when she had done. "How's this?"  
  
Hermione looked up from her note copying. She was copying some of Draco's notes, which he had insisted on lending her. "Perfect, Ginny! Now, your clothes are settled. Let's do your face!"  
  
In fifteen minutes, Hermione had applied some light foundation, powder, a dab of natural pink blush, and lip-gloss to Ginny, who was amazed at the results.  
  
"There, it looks natural, doesn't it?"  
  
"Yes! Thanks, Hermione! I'll leave my things here, won't I? I'll collect them tomorrow morning."  
  
"No problem," said Hermione. "Come on, I'll accompany you out."  
  
Ginny ran the brush a last time through her hair, and walked down with Hermione.  
  
"Harry will be blown off his feet," said Hermione, smiling at the thought.  
  
"I don't know about that," said Ginny looking down shyly.  
  
When they reached the common room, which was empty, except for Draco, they were very thankful. Draco opened his mouth.  
  
"If it's nothing nice, then shut up, Draco," said Hermione, before he could say anything.  
  
Draco rolled his eyes at Hermione and looked down at the book in his hands.  
  
Outside, Hermione said goodbye and good luck to Ginny, and went back to the common room, taking her time, hoping that when she got back to the common room, Draco would be asleep or gone, and she'd be spared talking to him.  
  
"Fat hope," she whispered to herself, when Draco looked up from his book, which he put down as she entered.  
  
"Have a seat," said Draco, as if graciously welcoming her into his home.  
  
Hermione sighed loudly to show her displeasure and threw herself into the couch opposite Draco's.  
  
"Make it quick, Draco," said Hermione, pretending to look nonchalant, although her heart was beginning to race. "I want to turn in early."  
  
"There's no school tomorrow, Hermione," said Draco, smirking. "Good try, though."  
  
Hermione felt her irritation as she replied, "Not everyone wants to have eye bags like you, you worm."  
  
Draco's hands flew instinctively to his eyes. "I do not have eye bags!"  
  
Then, he saw Hermione laughing, and he began to laugh along with her, though he tried not to. What was wrong with him?  
  
"Well?" Said Hermione, looking serious and tired again.  
  
"I don't know where to begin, Hermione, but I'll try my best to put what I want to say into words. But I beg of you not to interrupt me." Draco looked at her, to see if she agreed. She did, with a nod of her head.  
  
"Well, this is really hard, but first of all, I'm really sorry. Secondly, I realized that just lately, I've been... Well, feeling rather close to you. I don't know why, and I cannot explain it. It's not 'like', and I wouldn't call it 'love'. I don't know what it is. And I wanted to ask you, honestly, just how you feel about and towards me," he said, looking into her eyes.  
  
Hermione stared back into his eyes. 'Maybe that was why they said that your eyes are the windows to your soul,' thought Hermione. She could see that Draco was being completely honest, and personal with her. He looked so vulnerable, totally unlike the swaggering, self-assured, confident jerk she knew him to be.  
  
"I-," Hermione didn't know what to say. "I don't know, Draco. I've just been a concerned friend, and nothing more, when I got upset about that dream. But I didn't think that..." Hermione was at a loss for words.  
  
"That?" Urged Draco. He wanted to know everything.  
  
"That you'd feel that way about me," she finished.  
  
"But how do you feel about me?" Asked Draco, not wanting to get his hopes too high. "Where do I stand?"  
  
Hermione was trapped. "Draco... You're... Just a friend." She said finally. "Just a friend."  
  
"Just a friend... Just a friend... Just a friend..." Hermione's words rang resoundingly in Draco's ears. "Just a friend... Just a friend... Just a friend..."  
  
Draco's heart turned to ice. He did not want to hear anymore. He stood up.  
  
"Draco..."  
  
"I'm going to bed," he said, his voice, cold as an iceberg. "Night."  
  
"Draco, please!" Hermione ran after him, and grabbed his arm just the way he had not too many days ago.  
  
He took no notice of her, and walked on as though she wasn't there.  
  
"Please, Draco! I'm sorry! Listen to me!"  
  
"Hey, put a sock in it!" They heard, when they passed Justin's room.  
  
"Draco," Hermione pleaded softly. "Please! I had no idea!"  
  
Draco threw his room door open and sat at the edge of his bed. He looked down at the deep green carpeting in front of him. He wanted to shut everything out. He could, really. But he could not shut out Hermione, who was seated right next to him. Her presence, voice and scent was something Draco wanted there, but did not want at the same time.  
  
Draco turned slowly to face her. "You had no idea. Of course. No one would. But I thought you'd read between the lines, Hermione! Haven't I been nice to you?" He got up, shook off Hermione's warm hand, and went to shut his door.  
  
Hermione felt a prickle of anger. "You think that being nice to me for a week makes me forget everything? How you called me a mudblood, how you made my teeth grow a hundred times faster than anything, and humiliated me? How my best friends and I were the butt of your cruel jokes and taunts? No, Draco! And I-."  
  
But Hermione didn't have the chance to go on. Draco had pulled her towards him and kissed her full on her lips. Hermione was taken aback, and didn't know how to respond, though her first thought was to push Draco away, but Draco being near to her, his warmth, his light eau de cologne, his everything... It just swept her off her feet, and all thoughts were instantly erased from her mind. Nothing was clear to her. Nothing made any sense, except to respond to Draco. So she did. She kissed him back.  
  
Slowly, Draco wrapped his arms around her, going slow, so he wouldn't scare her, and Hermione found her arms around his neck. No sooner had they been entwined for a minute, Hermione broke the spell.  
  
"We did NOT do that!" She said, looking at him, her eyes wide with fear. "I did NOT do that! It wasn't me! I- I... Don't know what came over me, and I-..."  
  
Draco put a finger on her lips, and felt her warm breath, coming out in short gasps.  
  
"We did, Hermione."  
  
Hermione took a step backwards. "We didn't!" Then she turned and ran to the door.  
  
"Hermione!" Draco started after her. Too late. She had disappeared down the stairs in a blur.  
  
Draco shut his door slowly, and ran a finger over his lips. He had kissed Hermione Granger. And better -  
  
"I kissed him back," whispered Hermione to herself, sitting huddled on her bed, her arms around her knees. "I kissed him back. How could I? How could you, Hermione Granger? Are you really Hermione Granger?"  
  
Hermione didn't know what to think. Was she happy? Angry he had kissed her? Glad she had kissed him back? Furious for responding to him? She couldn't think straight. Her first kiss! Her first kiss went to Draco Malfoy! She had kissed Harry on the cheek once - but that didn't count. He didn't hold her, and she didn't hold him back.  
  
"But you held Draco," Hermione whispered rocking back and forth gently. 'You held him, as if you never wanted to let go."  
  
Hermione's lips burned. She was thoroughly ashamed of herself. How could she do such a thing?  
  
Just then, there was a sharp tapping on the window. Hermione jumped. She looked at the window. It was an eagle owl. 'Draco,' she thought, and quickly went to the window and opened it. The owl had a note.  
  
Hermione, slightly dreading what was inside, opened it slowly, as the owl sat on her windowsill and began to preen itself. It read,  
  
"Hermione, I don't know what to say, but I think I owe you an explanation why I... Kissed you. I guess you could say it was in the heat of the moment. And besides, you look really cute when you're all red and flustered and angry, so I couldn't help myself. I just had to. If you don't want to talk to me for the rest of your life, and beyond, I'm prepared. Yours always, Draco"  
  
Hermione smiled, despite herself. Draco had a warped sense of humour, almost like Ron's, except Ron tended to be more sarcastic. Hermione re-read the letter, and wondered if she ought to reply.  
  
"Well, for courtesy sake," she told herself, as she sat at her desk, pulled out her quill and bottle of ink, and wrote on a new piece of parchment.  
  
"Draco, I'm as much to blame as you are, as I kissed you back. So don't bully yourself. Why would I not want to talk to you? Just DON'T (I MEAN IT!) mention it or breathe a word to anybody. Let's forget it ever happened -," 'though it won't be easy', thought Hermione, "and go back to our lives. Is that fine with you? Good night, Draco. I'm very tired from all these, and I need a break -," Hermione paused. How would she sign off? With her usual 'Love from'? Or 'Yours truly'? No, not 'Yours truly'. That wasn't personal, and so not her. Finally, she settled on her usual 'Love from', hoping Draco would not get the wrong idea.  
  
Then, she tied the note on the owl's leg, and watched it take off into the night. Hermione looked down at the Hogwart's grounds. She couldn't see anything, and turned back to her bed.  
  
Still thinking over everything, she changed into a comfortable pair of clothes, and fell back into bed. Hermione wondered if she really treated Draco just as her friend. Or was he someone who meant more to her, than she knew or actually dared to admit? Her thoughts still going round and round in circles, Hermione fell asleep. 


	13. Granger and Malfoy

A BIG BIG BIG thanks to all my wonderful reviewers (You know who you are, esp. Kristen!!)! If it weren't for you I'd have abandoned writing long ago! XOXO, Thanks again!  
  
Chapter 13  
  
"Ginny, how did it go?" Said Hermione, leaning back into the couch in the prefects' room.  
  
Ginny had come over after breakfast to collect her clothes, return Hermione's sweater, and tell her what happened.  
  
Ginny's eyes shone. "Well, I told him honestly how I felt about him, and I said that even if he had eyes for another, I didn't care, just as long as I could admire him from afar, it was good enough for me!"  
  
"And?" Said Hermione, looking excitedly at her friend, who was seated on the same couch, facing her.  
  
"Well, he was stunned, obviously. He didn't say anything for a while, and when he looked back at me, he said he had to admit that he had some feelings for me... But he just wasn't sure of himself yet. So I said that's okay, as I didn't want to rush him into anything. So he said that if I gave him the chance to get to know me better, he'd definitely think about it," said Ginny, her eyes alight at the memory.  
  
"Oh, Ginny! You're so lucky! Did he say anything else?" Said Hermione, eager to hear every detail.  
  
"Well, I don't know if I should..."  
  
"What?" Said Hermione, not wanting to miss out on anything.  
  
"Well, it's something Ron told Harry... It's about you..."  
  
"What did Ron say about me, Ginny Weasley? DON'T keep me in the dark! You better tell me, or I'll never speak to you again!"  
  
"Okay, okay!" Gave in Ginny, laughing. "Well, Harry said that Ron has been going on and on about you lately. As in not, 'Herm's so bossy' or, 'She's such a know-it-all', but...."  
  
"WHAT?!" The suspense was killing Hermione.  
  
"But, 'Hermione looks nice in that sweater', or 'Her skirt is really cute' and other stuff," said Ginny, carefully studying Hermione's expression.  
  
"Yeah, right, Ginny! He did not!"  
  
"Did too! And there are a couple of others! Like, 'Hermione's hair looks nice today, Harry. Do you think I could touch it?' and 'Shall I offer to carry her books for her after our lessons, Harry?' that kind of thing! Harry said it's been going on since you two made up and you... Oh, Hermione, just asking, did you hug Ron?" Said Ginny.  
  
"Er- yes. When I apologized. Why?"  
  
"No wonder he's over the moon about you! Tell me your secret, Hermione! Did you have some kind of Love Potion perfume on you?"  
  
"NO!" Said Hermione, laughing. "Come ON, Ginny! Have you lost your head? Ron's just a concerned friend!" Said Hermione, although something was stirring in Hermione's heart.  
  
"Come on, Hermione! Don't be BLIND!" Said Ginny, looking at Hermione as though willing her to believe it. "You know Ron has had some feelings for you since your fourth year! Remember Viktor Krum?"  
  
Hermione remembered. Of course she did. How could she ever forget? She remembered thinking that Ron was the most over-bearing git she had ever known, and was so mad at him. She'd never forget that, all right.  
  
"Well, I'm not believing it until I hear it from Ron himself, Ginny. You know how I never believe anything unless I hear it from the person's mouth!"  
  
"Hermione Granger, I swear, you're the most stubborn girl I have ever met!" Ginny exclaimed, as Hermione threw her head back and laughed.  
  
Ginny liked Hermione's laugh. The way her wavy curls fell backwards when she threw her head back, and the way her eyes crinkled into two stars when she smiled. Hermione was turning into a very pretty girl.  
  
"Well, I've got work to do, Hermione. It's best I'd be on my way. Oh, and don't mention this to Ron, okay?" Said Ginny, picking up her back and standing up.  
  
"Promise," said Hermione, standing up and seeing her off.  
  
When she went back to the common room, she found it was empty. Grateful for the peace, Hermione went upstairs and grabbed her Arithmancy homework, and Transfiguration notes. Humming softly under her breath, she slowly descended the steps, her eyes on the cover of her Arithmancy textbook.  
  
"I see the little know-it-all is going to study now, isn't she?"  
  
Hermione's head snapped up, and she tensed up. "What do you want, Draco?"  
  
"Now, now, don't need to be so tense," said Draco, smirking, as he fell back onto one of the couches near the long study table in the common room. "I'm merely making a comment, and that bushy head of yours goes wild."  
  
"My head is not bushy, you filthy ferret," snapped Hermione, slamming her thick books down onto the study table, and sitting down, facing him. "And I do NOT go wild. If you don't mind, I'd like some peace, so I can do my work!"  
  
"Doing work?" Draco stood up, and looked over at Hermione's small pile of work. "I was thinking of doing some work too, actually. So why not -," Draco lifted his wand, and with a swift wave, a few of his textbooks and notes landed with a gentle thud on the table, opposite Hermione. "We study together."  
  
Hermione stared at Draco in disgust. "Can't I study on my own? Some of us around here value peace and quiet, you know."  
  
"Of course you do," said Draco, still smirking as he slowly lowered himself into the chair across from Hermione. "I imagine it's hard to have those, especially when your best friends are Potty and Weasel. Especially so when Weasel is busy asking Harry if he can touch your hair, or hold your -."  
  
Hermione shut her Arithmancy textbook with a bang. "Just what did you hear, you slime ball?" Said Hermione in a low and dangerous voice. "You were eavesdropping, weren't you, you slimy little ferret?"  
  
"Well, I was about to ask if I could join in, but, no, you two were all submersed in your girly talk, I couldn't bring myself to interrupt your interesting conversation. Hope you - Ow, you little -." Draco's hand flew to his left cheek.  
  
Hermione, who had completely lost her temper with him, had flung one of her textbooks into Draco's face.  
  
"Take that, you dirt bag. For being a sneaky eavesdropper, and for kissing me! Wait till I tell Ron and Harry, you ferret!" Hermione said, her eyes filled with anger.  
  
"Still need your faithful sidekicks to fall back on to, huh, Granger? Wait till Potty and Weasel hear that YOU KISSED ME BACK!!" Roared Draco.  
  
Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "You will not," she whispered. "You can't! I won't let you!"  
  
"Stop me, Granger," said Draco, brushing his hand over his throbbing cheek.  
  
Both of them whipped out their wands at the same time. "It's either you or me, Malfoy," whispered Hermione, her tears spilling over. "Expelliarmus!"  
  
Draco's wand flew out of his hand. "Accio!" Yelled Hermione, before Draco could make a dash and grab his wand. "I have it right here, Malfoy," said Hermione, waving the wand in front of Draco, as though tempting him. "Want it back?"  
  
Draco was furious. "GIVE IT BACK, YOU MUDBLOOD!" He yelled, feeling defenseless and vulnerable without his wand.  
  
Hermione's eyes narrowed, and her tears continued in a steady flow down her cheeks. "Take that back, Malfoy," she whispered, her arms falling limply to her sides.  
  
"No," said Draco, his glare, cold and icy.  
  
Hermione dropped his wand, let out a sob, turned and pushed the portrait open. Justin, Parvati and Lavender, who were about to come in, were pushed aside, as Hermione ran past them.  
  
"What happened, Malfoy?" Snarled Parvati, diving him a death glare.  
  
Draco smirked at her, and retrieved his wand from the floor.  
  
"You're Hippogriff chow, Malfoy!" Said Justin, helping Lavender to gather Hermione's homework. "You really are!"  
  
"Shut up, Finch-Fetchley. None of your friggin business," Draco snarled, in an extremely foul mood. Then, he turned, with a swish of his cloak, and went up to his room; his books lay forgotten on the table.  
  
As he was about to shut his door, he heard Lavender say, "He's too cocky for his own good". Changing his mind, Draco slammed the door and locked himself in, never wanting to see anyone again. 


	14. That's What Friends Are For

Hey, everyone... School's gonna reopen on Thursday, so the chapters won't be updated as often as before, but do check back here as often, as I'll try to update about 4 times a week. Yup, I'm talking about you, Kris10... And to all my reviewers, and... Okay, to everyone....  
  
Chapter 14  
  
Ron jumped up when he saw Hermione storm into the common room, with tears steadily streaming down her face. Ginny rushed over, from her place on the couch next to Harry, and pulled Harry's handkerchief out of his back pocket, making Ron wonder how Ginny knew it was there. But, he turned his attention back to Hermione, who fell into his arms limply.  
  
"What's wrong, Hermione?" Said Ron, supporting her, while trying to lead her over to a couch.  
  
Seamus and Dean, who were also in the common room, came over when she sat down, wanting to know what was wrong.  
  
When Hermione did not say anything, Ginny sat next to her, put an arm around her, and handed her Harry's handkerchief, which she pushed away. Hermione looked down at her lap, letting her hair fall in front of her face like a curtain.  
  
"Hermione," said Ron, subconsciously running his fingers through Hermione's soft hair, "tell us what's wrong."  
  
"D-Draco," Hermione managed to choke out, looking up suddenly.  
  
"Malfoy?" Said Harry, looking angry. "What did he do?"  
  
Slowly, Hermione related what had happened. When Hermione told them about Draco calling her 'mudblood', she put her face on Ron's shoulder and said miserably, "I don't want to go back to the prefects' common room. I don't want to see Malfoy for the rest of my life."  
  
"You can always sleep in my room," said Seamus. Ron turned and glared at Seamus, who quickly said "Joke, joke!"  
  
"You can share my bed, Hermione," said Ginny, watching her brother run his fingers slowly through her hair, while she gave a small smile. "Or I'll kip on the floor, and you can use my bed."  
  
Hermione pulled away from Ron, and looked at Ginny. "Can I, really?"  
  
When Ginny nodded, Hermione hugged her briefly. "Then I'll go back to my room and grab my homework, and stuff. See you soon," she said, standing up.  
  
"We'll go with you," said Ron, as he, Harry and Ginny stood up too.  
  
Hermione smiled at them. "Thanks," she said, as the four of them made their way out.  
  
Hermione, who was leading the way, with Ron next to her, did not notice that Harry and Ginny had lagged behind a little, hoping to let Ron get his chance to console Hermione, who still had a few tears streaming down her face.  
  
"I thought we were friends!" Said Hermione.  
  
"Never trust a Malfoy," said Ron firmly, as he patted her shoulder.  
  
When they reached the common room, only Cho, Lavender, Parvati and Justin were in sight. Hermione assumed that Draco was in his room.  
  
"We've put your stuff in your room, Hermione," said Lavender, looking concernedly at her friend.  
  
"Thanks, Lavender," said Hermione, as she managed to give her a weak smile.  
  
Harry and Ron settled down in a seat as Ginny accompanied Hermione up to her room to pack some of her things up.  
  
Five minutes later, Hermione came down, with a big overnight bag and her books in hand. Ginny was helping her to carry her books. When Ron saw the load Hermione was carrying, he immediately offered to help her carry her bag. Though she refused, he took the bag from her, and Ginny and Harry exchanged smiles behind them.  
  
Secretly, Hermione was wondering if Ron was up to anything, especially since Ginny told her what he had said. What was Ron Weasley up to? 


	15. Guilt

Psychopeanut: This chapter is to encourage you. May this give you inspiration!  
  
To everyone else, this extra chapter is a New Year's treat from me. Happy New Year!  
  
Chapter 15  
  
For the next few days, Hermione slept in Ginny's room, and did her work in the Gryffindor common room. As the teachers did not voice any objections, Hermione felt like she was at a home away from home.  
  
"This is where I belong," Hermione told herself every night, before going to bed, though she had to go back to her room sometimes, to get something she'd forgotten or left behind.  
  
She still had not told anyone about the kiss she had shared with Draco, as everyone was treating her really well, making her feel welcome, and at ease, and she did not want them to treat her like Draco had. However, Hermione felt that she had to tell someone, or she'd never get rid of the guilty feeling she got when she looked at Ron. So, on Tuesday evening, she decided to tell Ginny and Harry after dinner.  
  
After dinner, she got her chance, when Ron excused himself to go to the washroom.  
  
"Harry, Ginny, hurry, I need to tell you something important," said Hermione, in a low and urgent voice.  
  
Looking alarmed, Harry and Ginny, who had been secretly holding hands lately, followed Hermione into a deserted classroom.  
  
"What is it, Herm?" Said Ginny, wondering if Hermione was ill or -. No, she stopped herself quickly, and waited to hear what Hermione had to say before jumping to conclusions.  
  
"You know the day after Draco - I mean, Malfoy... The day before Malfoy and I fought, we had a talk, which ended in a small argument, and he walked off -."  
  
'Why?" Interrupted Ginny.  
  
"He asked me how I felt about him, and where did he stand, so I told him he was just a friend. That's when he got up, and left for his room. I followed him up, and then we were in his room, and -."  
  
"Did you -?"  
  
"NO, Harry. I was seated next to him on his bed," said Hermione, whispering quickly, hoping Ron would not come back soon. "Then he went to shut his door. I was saying something, and before I could finish what I was saying, he..." Hermione hesitated.  
  
"He?" Said Harry, looking serious.  
  
"He..." Hermione stopped, before whispering, "He kissed me."  
  
"He what?" Said Ginny, forgetting to whisper.  
  
"Did you, you know - kiss him back?"  
  
Hermione nodded miserably. "I don't know what came over me, but if you had been in my position, you would have too," said Hermione, not allowing Harry or Ginny to interrupt. "He was so close, and so warm, and no one was there. It was so... Romantic!" Hermione said, blushing.  
  
"So why are you telling us?" Said Harry.  
  
"Because I feel guilty every time I look at Ron!" Said Hermione.  
  
"Ah..." Said Harry.  
  
"Hermione, tell us honestly. Do you feel anything for Ron?" Said Ginny, looking more or less amused.  
  
Hermione looked away, as she fidgeted with her cloak clasping.  
  
"Hermione?" Said Harry. "Hurry, tell us! Ron will be coming back soon."  
  
"Well... He's been nice to me and all, this while, and I think he's really sweet -."  
  
"Do you like Ron, Hermione," said Ginny, interrupting Hermione's beating around the bush.  
  
"Yes," said Hermione softly. "A little."  
  
"Ha," said Harry under his breath. "I knew it!"  
  
""Let's go," said Hermione quickly. "Ron should be done by now."  
  
As the three of them exited the classroom, Hermione said, "Promise me that you won't breathe a word to Ron, okay?"  
  
Harry and Ginny promised, as they went up to Ron who was craning his neck over a small crowd of students, trying to see where the three of them were.  
  
"There you are!" Said Ron, spotting them heading over to him. "Wondered where you went!"  
  
"Sorry," said Ginny smoothly. "Hermione was showing us something."  
  
"Yeah," said Hermione, hoping Ron wouldn't ask. "Let's go!"  
  
Thankfully, Ron followed them up the flight of stairs, which took them to the Gryffindor common room. For the first time in a few days, Hermione didn't feel her conscience nagging her when she looked at Ron. And when Ron slipped his hand into hers, she was sure she had never felt better... Except when Draco had kissed her... 


	16. The Meeting

Chapter 16  
  
When Hermione got back to the room Ginny shared with three other girls, Daisy, Cheryl and Frankie, who barely spoke to Hermione, she noticed an envelope on Ginny's bed, addressed to her. Hermione recognized the writing right away. It was Draco's. Slowly, she sank down onto Ginny's bed, and opened the envelope. Inside was a small piece of parchment with four words, "Meet me, Astronomy Tower". Hermione's heart thudded wildly.  
  
"Hey, Herm," said Ginny, coming into the room with Frankie and Daisy.  
  
Hermione quickly pushed the parchment out of sight. "Hey, Ginny. Hi Frankie. Hi, Daisy."  
  
"Hi," the two other girls said in unison.  
  
"We're going to do each other's hair, Hermione. Want to join us?" Said Ginny, as Frankie and Daisy got out a bag in which Hermione assumed was their make up. She shuddered at the thought of wearing make up.  
  
"Thanks, Ginny, but no thanks," said Hermione, thinking of Draco. "But I think I'd like to walk around the castle. I need to clear my mind. Care to come?" She asked, knowing Ginny would refuse.  
  
"Oh, sorry, Hermione," said Ginny. "But I already made a date with Daisy and Frankie. Sorry. And you'll want to be alone if you want to 'clear your mind'."  
  
"No problem," said Hermione quickly. "Well, I'd best be going now."  
  
Hermione got up, and left the room. In the common room, Ron and Harry were playing muggle chess. Hermione forgot where she was going momentarily, and watched as Ron forgot and said "Knight to E4... Oops, sorry, Harry", then move the knight himself. Then, he looked up and saw Hermione.  
  
"Hey, Hermione," he said. "Where are you going?"  
  
"Oh," said Hermione as Harry looked up. "I'm going for a walk around the castle. I need to clear my mind, and get a breather... Just walk around."  
  
"Be careful," said Ron, and he went back to the game.  
  
Thankful that Ron didn't probe, Hermione turned, and left the Gryffindor common room.  
  
In less than ten minutes, Hermione reached the Astronomy tower. No one was inside. Hermione went to a bench under a window, and sat on it, looking out at the deep velvet blue sky. She tried to spot some constellations, but gave up and began counting stars. When she got to her 106th star, a pair of strong, warm arms encircled her gently. Hermione tensed. Then she slowly relaxed. She didn't need to turn to see who it was. She recognized his light cologne.  
  
"What did you call me here for?" She murmured, leaning her head back, onto Draco's shoulder.  
  
"Nothing," he whispered. "I... I missed you."  
  
Hermione's head jolted up, and she regained her senses. She was about to pull herself from Draco's warm hug, but stopped herself. It was a cold night, and his warmth was comforting, and she had to admit. It made her feel secure.  
  
"Why?" She whispered back. "You missed taunting me?"  
  
His arms tightened around her. "No. I just missed you."  
  
Hermione's head found a comfortable spot on his shoulder again. She didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say, and there was nothing to be said. It just felt right.  
  
"When are you coming back?" Draco wanted to know.  
  
"Back? Back to where?" Said Hermione, beginning to count the stars again.  
  
"To your room. I want you back," whispered Draco.  
  
Hermione laughed softly, and she pulled out of Draco's hug to look at him. "What will I tell Ron and Harry and Ginny?"  
  
"Nothing," said Draco, pulling Hermione into his arms. "Just say you think it's time you go back. I want you."  
  
Hermione's arms found their way to Draco's neck, and they wrapped themselves there. "You don't understand. Ron and I... We -."  
  
"Since when did you and Ron become 'we'?" Said Draco, caressing Hermione's back.  
  
"Not that way," said Hermione. "It's just that Ron and I have grown considerably closer over the past few days, and it's not fair to push him away just because you want me back, Draco. And he was always there when I was down," Hermione stiffened a little. "He was really understanding, and he didn't take advantage of me when I was upset, and try anything I would regret."  
  
Draco pulled away from Hermione, held her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "So you're saying that you want to be with Ron?"  
  
Hermione broke their eye contact and looked down. "I don't know," she said in a voice softer than a whisper.  
  
Draco pulled her back into his arms. "Don't worry," he said softly. "I'll find a way." 


	17. Moving Back

Chapter 17  
  
Hermione stared at her Ancient Runes notes, and tried her best to concentrate. Draco's face, warmth and voice filled her head, and she could not focus on her revision. Hermione knew what was wrong. She was - she hated admitting it - in love. She put away her notes and quills and put her head on her hands on the table. She looked around at the Gryffindor common room, and imagined having to say goodbye a second time to the Gryffindors.  
  
Then suddenly, Ron's face came into her mind. She could already hear his voice in her head. "You want to go back? Why?"  
  
Hermione squirmed. Then she thought of Draco. 'How could I fall in love with him?' she wondered. 'Of all boys there is here, I had to fall for a Slytherin- and my best friends' archenemy, at that. Why can't I settle with Ron?'  
  
'Ron isn't like Draco,' a voice in her head told her. 'He doesn't kiss you like you're the most important thing to him, and face it - he'll never make the first move to kiss you!'  
  
Hermione sighed, and began to sing the first tune that came to her head.  
  
"It's gonna be love  
  
It's gonna be great  
  
It's gonna be more then I can take  
  
It's gonna be free  
  
It's gonna be real  
  
It's gonna change everything I feel  
  
It's gonna be sad  
  
It's gonna be true  
  
It's gonna be me baby  
  
It's gonna be you baby  
  
It's gonna be..... Its gonna be love..."  
  
Hermione's head snapped up. What did she just sing? Hermione shook her head, gathered up her books, and went up to Ginny's room.  
  
"Time to pack," she told herself.  
  
When all her things were put into her overnight bag, and she made sure she had left nothing behind, Hermione went down.  
  
Daisy, Frankie, and Cheryl, who were on their way up, asked Hermione where she was going.  
  
"Back to where I really belong," said Hermione, "Thanks for putting up with me!"  
  
"It's nothing," said Daisy, running her hand through her long dirty-blond hair.  
  
"We'll miss you," said Cheryl.  
  
"Thanks for helping us with our Arithmancy, anyway," said Frankie. "We got full marks!"  
  
Hermione smiled. "Anytime," she said, and went down.  
  
"Hermione, where are you going?" Asked Ginny, jumping off the couch on which she was seated, watching her brother and Harry work their way through their Divination homework.  
  
"Back," said Hermione simply, and Harry and Ron's head snapped up immediately.  
  
"Back?" Repeated Ron. "Back to where?"  
  
"The Prefects' tower," said Hermione, trying to sound like it didn't matter if she went or stayed, but it did matter, as her heart was aching to throw her arms around Ron, but the urge to see Draco was stronger.  
  
"Why?" Said Harry, studying Hermione's nonchalant expression, and could tell right away she wasn't telling them something. However, he said nothing.  
  
"I've stayed with you long enough, and I think Ginny should have her bed back. I mean, it's not fair. I have my own bed, in my own room, but I'm depriving Ginny of hers, just because of a silly little fight with Dra- Malfoy."  
  
"Silly little fight?" Said Ron, lifting an eyebrow. "You didn't think it was a silly little fight when you came in here crying that day."  
  
Hermione stared at him. What happened to the sweet, considerate Ron she'd known and loved the past week?  
  
Ginny was more understanding, though. "Herm, you know you're not depriving me of my bed," laughed Ginny, "but if you want to go back, Harry and I will respect your decision," she continued, looking pointedly and Ron.  
  
"Well, goodbye, then, Hermione," said Ron finally. "It was nice having you around."  
  
"Just 'nice'?" Joked Hermione, trying to lighten the situation.  
  
Ron winked at her and said, "You know what I mean."  
  
Hermione blushed. The way Ron said it made it sound like they had -. Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron, waved to Harry and Ginny, and left.  
  
All along the way to the Prefects' tower, Hermione hummed the song she had sung earlier on. She was going to see Draco... She was going to see Draco! That was the only thing on her mind.  
  
However, she was disappointed when she got to the common room, as Draco was nowhere in sight. When she asked Ryan, a Ravenclaw, if Draco was in his room, he told her he had not seen Draco since breakfast.  
  
Hermione's heart sank. Why had he asked her to come back if he was not going to be around in the first place? Slowly, she walked up to her room, wondering if she had made the right choice. She opened her room door, walked in, and shut it behind her, without bothering to turn to see if it was closed properly.  
  
Suddenly, a familiar pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist. Hermione dropped her things, loosened the arms around her slightly and turned around.  
  
"I missed you," she whispered, into Draco's chest, her voice muffled.  
  
"You can't imagine, how I felt, said Draco, using a finger, and lifting Hermione's face to his.  
  
As their lips were about to touch, the door flew open.  
  
"Justin let me in, Hermione," said a boy's cheerful voice. "I wanted to -."  
  
Hermione pulled away from Draco, but not quickly enough. She found herself staring at Ron, with a shocked expression on his face. He dropped the book he was holding.  
  
"What the -? You traitor..." Whispered Ron. Then he turned and ran down the stairs.  
  
Hermione pushed Draco away. "RON! WAIT! STOP! IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!"  
  
It was too late. Ron had run out through the portrait hole.  
  
"Not what you think?" Repeated Hannah Abbott, as six other prefects looked up at Hermione, who stood there, looking stunned.  
  
Just then, Draco came down.  
  
"Hermione, I think it's exactly what we all think," said Lavender. 


	18. Settling Their Differences

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Hope to get these in before I'm occupied with all my schoolwork (Ugh! How does Hermione cope with it, anyway?). Yup, the plot thickens! Anyone would like to guess who Hermione eventually chooses (Though it's main characters are Hermione and Draco)? Hehe... Do let me know when you drop your reviews in! Thanks, and Happy New Year!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 18  
  
Hermione couldn't think. All she remembered was pushing past Draco, who had tried to catch hold of her, running up the stairs, and sealed her door with a powerful sealing spell. She didn't want to see anyone. She didn't think she could face them. She covered her ears with her pillow, and ignored Draco and Parvati, who were pounding on her door, asking her if she was okay, and could she PLEASE open up the damn door?  
  
"Hermione, don't do anything stupid!" Yelled Parvati. "We're not mad! We just want an explanation!"  
  
Hermione shut her eyes, trying to shut out the sound too. The second last thing she wanted to do now was to explain anything to anyone. How could she, when she couldn't even explain it to herself in the first place?  
  
Finally, half an hour later, Draco yelled, and said he'd be back with lunch, and left with Parvati, talking in low voices.  
  
Just when she thought she could have some peace to straighten out her thoughts, Hedwig flew in, and landed gracefully on Hermione's bedspread. Two letters were tied to her leg.  
  
"Thanks, Hedwig," said Hermione, untying the letters.  
  
She could tell by the handwriting that they were from Harry and Ginny. Hermione opened the one from Harry first. She was not surprised to see the handwriting was rather untidy, as though Harry was rushing to write and send it.  
  
"Hermione, What happened? Ron burst into the common room like a hurricane, and was nearly tearing his hair out. All he could say was 'Draco', 'Hermione', and 'together' What. The. Hell? Answer ASAP. No, reply NOW! Please! Harry"  
  
Hermione felt a surge of annoyance. What was wrong with Harry? What right did he have, demanding answers out of her like she owed it to him? Hoping for a better letter from Ginny, she opened it. It was not much different to Harry's, though the tone was not as harsh.  
  
"Hermione, All Ron could say since he came in twenty minutes ago was 'Hermione' and 'Draco' and 'together'. What happened? I'm dead worried. Are you okay? Answer ASAP! Ginny"  
  
Hermione dropped Ginny's letter like it had suddenly turned to hot coals. She was in trouble so deep, it was deeper than the deepest ocean. She sat as though in a trance, trying to figure out what to do. Finally, she decided to start by explaining to Draco. Harry and Ginny could wait for all she cared.  
  
Unsealing her door, she slowly made her way down the staircase. When she was in the common room, she steadfastly ignored the prefects who were staring at her, demanding an explanation with their steely glares, fastened on her back.  
  
When she reached Draco's room, she knocked softly thrice, and only had to wait a second, before the door was thrown open. Hermione could see that Draco had prepared to tell anyone to go away, but when he saw her, his expression softened considerably, considering the fact he was a Malfoy, and pulled her in. Parvati, who was holding a piece of parchment, immediately excused herself, and said she'd post the letter immediately, and then she was gone.  
  
"Draco," said Hermione, when the door had been locked and sealed. "I need to set things straight."  
  
Draco sighed. "I knew you'd get to this, but I guess I do have some explaining too. You first," he said, and sat himself on the bed, gesturing to Hermione to sit next to him, which she did.  
  
"Well, we obviously didn't mean for Ron to burst in when we were... You know, but I was also wondering - I mean, even if Ron hadn't walked in at that time, how were we going to keep our, er - feelings for each other? Someone would have found out eventually, anyway." Hermione looked enquiringly at him.  
  
"I was thinking along the same lines as you, Hermione. And I have no idea. I've even been asking myself if I'm serious or am I just having fun, like I always do."  
  
Hermione stiffened, and felt a prickle of insecurity ran up and down her spine. "Like you always do?"  
  
Draco lowered his eyes. "I don't want to go into that," he said. Then, in a colder tone, he said, "Why don't we just forget about each other. This is stupid, anyway. What are we doing? A Gryffindor, and a Slytherin? What's my... Father going to say?"  
  
"Your father?" Hermione's back was so stiff, Draco thought he could iron clothes on it, not that he knew how to, anyway. "I thought you didn't care what your father thought!"  
  
"I never said that," said Draco, his tone going colder still.  
  
"You never meant anything you said, did you, ferret boy?" Said Hermione, using an old nickname she'd used back in her fifth year. She stood up. "Was everything you said a lie?"  
  
Draco looked away, and narrowed his eyes. "Maybe it was."  
  
Hermione fiercely grabbed a side of his face, so that he was facing her. "Ron was right," she said slowly and clearly, her tears welling up rapidly in her eyes. "Never. Trust. A Malfoy."  
  
Then, Hermione turned and ran. She never stopped until she reached the Gryffindor common room, where Ron was still fuming, with Harry and Ginny at his sides.  
  
When Hermione ran in, both Harry and Ginny looked up.  
  
Hermione fell at Ron's knees. "R-Ron," she choked, desperately trying to control her emotions. "I'm sorry. Please - Please forgive me. You were r- right. Never trust a Malfoy. I'll never forget! Oh - Ron!" Hermione threw her arms around Ron, before he could react.  
  
Ron, though he still felt betrayed, and angry, he put his arms around Hermione, and sat her on his left, next to Ginny. Despite himself, he found it in his heart to forgive Hermione. It probably wasn't her fault, in the first place, Draco, being the flirty ferret he was. Hermione was probably just another game of his.  
  
Harry and Ginny quietly excused themselves, and went out of the common room. They walked slowly to a tower, which overlooked the lake, where they looked out. Ginny loved the view from that tower. The delicate azure of the sky and mellow gold of the late afternoon was reflected in the shimmering surface of the water. Ginny thought it was a wonderful scene for a canvas painting. She did not say this aloud, though, wondering who would break the silence. Should she do it, or wait for Harry?  
  
Harry broke the silence.  
  
"I can't believe it," he said softly, his hand clutching the wooden sill, as though for support. "Why would Malfoy go for Hermione? I mean - it's not that she's not attractive, but Malfoy calls her a mudblood! He tortures her beyond anything! And yet -."  
  
"Harry," said Ginny, rubbing her hand up and down Harry's right arm gently, like her mother did when she was upset, angry or tensed up. "Hermione's grown up. If you're a girl, and you've fallen for someone, you wouldn't care whether or not the one you love is perfect or not. All that matters is what you feel for him."  
  
"But -," Harry tried to argue.  
  
"Trust me," said Ginny, looking into Harry's green eyes. "I know."  
  
Harry smiled down at Ginny, who was a little shorter than him. "You do," he said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.  
  
Ginny nodded, and leant onto Harry, listening to his strong and steady heartbeat. "Do you want to go back now?" She asked softly, closing her eyes.  
  
"No," he answered, putting his arms around her. "Let Ron and Hermione talk it out. They seriously need to consider their feelings for each other."  
  
Ginny's eyes flew open. "Their feelings for each other?" She repeated. "You really think that they both have a thing for the other?"  
  
Harry nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it's so obvious! Remember the time when Ron was openly jealous of Hermione going with Krum to the Yule Ball? And the time Hermione was furious that Fleur kissed Ron? It's so easy to see! I'm surprised they haven't noticed it yet!"  
  
Ginny's eyes fluttered shut again. Harry's voice reverberating in his chest soothed her. "But I wouldn't guarantee that Hermione will end up with Ron. She'll go where her heart leads her. Not to where her mind leads her to."  
  
Harry's hug around Ginny tightened, much to his own surprise. "Where does your heart lead you to?" He asked softly.  
  
"Where else?" Said Ginny. She snuggled up to Harry. "You, of course," she whispered.  
  
Harry smiled, bent down, and planted a kiss on Ginny's lips. But that one kiss wouldn't be enough. So they stood there for some time, and kissed, not really caring if a teacher, or prefect would walk in and catch them. To them, they had each other, and that was all that mattered. 


	19. True love is found?

Hey, everyone! Sorry to keep you waiting... Schoolwork and all that... It's CRAZY! Anyway, it's Friday (Anyone's heard S Club's 'S Club Party'?), so here's something to enjoy (if you do) today! If I don't update for a while, it means I've got a mad hat of an English teacher's homework to deal with... Sigh! Anyway... Have fun! Oh, and Jase? Can you please leave me your e-mail address again? Thanks! XOXO!  
  
Chapter 19  
  
When Harry and Ginny went back to the Gryffindor common room, a few Gryffindors here and there, sat cozily in couches, relaxing, reading, talking unconcernedly to their friends, or simply just napping. One or two Gryffindors were going over some notes, their brows furrowed in concentration. Ginny noticed almost at once, that one of the one-seater couches, which was actually from a set of couches which were arranged in a circle, was pulled up to the warm, blazing fire.  
  
Ginny wondered who it was, and pointed it out to Harry, who had his eyes were on two second-years playing chess. Noticing a familiar hand rested on the armrest of the couch, Ginny took Harry's forearm, and half-dragged him over to her brother, whom they found to be asleep; a light blanket over him.  
  
"Ron?" Said Ginny softly, gently nudging his still form.  
  
"FOUL!" Roared Ron, as his eyes flew open, scaring even himself. He turned to Ginny, who had jumped back, and held tightly to Harry's left arm, ignoring the Gryffindors who had just started to mutter in a low, annoyed manner. "Sorry," said Ron apologetically, his eyes taking in the sight of Ginny, whose arms were still wrapped around Harry's arm, the owner not looking bothered, or minding at all.  
  
Ginny quickly moved away from Harry, pretending nothing had happened. "Where's Hermione?" She asked Ron, picking up the blanket, which had fallen to the floor.  
  
"She fell asleep on my shoulder, and I didn't want to wake her up - I mean - oh, who cares? Anyway, I levitated her up to our room, and let her carry on sleeping, on my bed. Oh, you don't mind, do you, Harry?" Said Ron, standing up slowly.  
  
"No, I don't -."  
  
"That's the way, Ron!" Interrupted Ginny, smiling up at Ron, who began to fold up his blanket. "Forgive and forget!"  
  
"Whatever, Ginny," yawned Ron, wondering if he had really forgiven and forgotten. Forgiven - maybe. Forgetting? Very difficult, forgetting the sight of Hermione and Malfoy, cozy in each others' arms, going to kiss - Why, Hermione had never kissed him, but Malfoy?  
  
Ron tried not to let his anger overcome him. "Where were you two? You were away for -," Ron consulted the clock on the mantel, "Holy! Nearly an hour! Where did the two of you go?"  
  
Ginny went red, and avoided looking at her brother, while Harry suddenly began to look for something in his pockets.  
  
"Oh, forget it," said Ron, rolling his eyes. "I'm going up, all right? I'm going to get some sleep."  
  
"Where?" Blurted Ginny, before she could think or stop herself.  
  
"Harry has a bed too, you know, Ginny," Said Ron, making his sister go red again. "Well anyway, you two - behave yourselves!" Then, he turned, and darted away before Harry or Ginny could react.  
  
  
  
Hermione stirred, feeling warm, and very comfortable under a few layers of sheets - sheets? Hermione opened her eyes, propped herself up on an elbow, and looked around.  
  
'That's Harry's four-poster... Neville's... Seamus'... Dean's... So this must be -,'Hermione felt wide-awake. 'RON'S bed!' Hermione struggled to remember how she ended up here. She remembered resting in Ron's arms, closing her eyes and... 'That's it,' thought Hermione. 'I fell asleep. I guess Ron levitated me up.'  
  
Smiling to herself, she fell back onto the soft, fluffy pillows, and shut her eyes, letting herself relax, as she forced all thoughts of Draco from her mind.  
  
A while later, she heard a soft click, and a squeak, as the door opened. Hermione bolted up from Ron's bed, and clutched his sheets tightly, hoping it wasn't any of Ron's roommates.  
  
It was Ron, thankfully.  
  
"You're awake," said Ron, gently closing the door behind him.  
  
"Yeah," said Hermione, shifting position, so she could get a better view of Ron. "Don't need to sound so disappointed."  
  
Ron went red. "I didn't mean..."  
  
Hermione laughed lightly. She patted the space next to her, gesturing to Ron to sit next to her. Slowly, he walked towards his bed, and sat next to Hermione.  
  
For a few minutes, they were quiet, and sat studying each other, taking in every detail of the other's face, as though they were never going to see each other again.  
  
"Well..." Said Hermione, after a while.  
  
Ron put his right arm around her shoulders, and drew her closer to him. "Yes?" He breathed softly into her hair.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered, slowly turning to face him.  
  
Ron looked into her eyes. As he was about to speak, Hermione leant forward, and planted a kiss right on his lips. Ron was temporarily stunned.  
  
"How long?" She asked, leaning against him like she had in the common room.  
  
"How long what?" Said Ron, having no head or tail about what Hermione was talking about.  
  
"How long have you been telling Harry that you... Liked my sweater, and stuff. How long have you felt this way?"  
  
Ron didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure if what he was feeling for Hermione was just a friendly kind of love, or just... Love. "I don't know," he said finally. I didn't even know I liked you. It's just there."  
  
Hermione closed her eyes. "I love you Ron..." Said Hermione, hesitating. "But not..." She caught herself in time.  
  
Ron closed his eyes, and put his cheek against her head. "But not what?"  
  
"Nothing," Hermione answered quickly. She had nearly said, "But not as much as I love Draco."  
  
As Ron was about to tell her that he loved her too, the door flew open, and someone said, "Excuse me!"  
  
They opened their eyes, pulled away from each other, and stared. 


	20. Staring Danger in the Eye?

I tried to make this chapter longer than usual. Hope this works out! Oh, S- star... Yup, just look at him! LoL! And thanks to my recent reviewers, as well as all the others! Thanks!  
  
  
  
Chapter 20  
  
When the portrait swung open, and Hermione entered, and saw the prefects staring at her, the first thing she said was, "I'm okay! Nothing's wrong!"  
  
"Really?" Said Ryan, raising an eyebrow. "Not from what Draco told us."  
  
Fear, anger, and annoyance gripped Hermione's heart, but nevertheless, she rolled her eyes as though she didn't care. "What did Malfoy tell you? Did he read a mantra to you, control you, and brainwashed you, so you'd believe his story? Huh? What did he say?"  
  
Ryan looked uncomfortably at the group of seven people, Hannah, Justin, Lavender, Parvati, Rochelle, a Ravenclaw, Calvin, and Jamie, both Hufflepuffs.  
  
"Well..." said Jamie, looking a little nervous. "He said you told him you had feelings for him, and that you wanted him, and ..."  
  
"And?" Said Hermione, wanting to storm up to Draco's room, and give him a well-placed kick.  
  
"And that you kissed him," said Justin. "He said he pushed you away, and you got angry, and left."  
  
"And you believe that?" Said Hermione, incredulously. "What a stupid tale!"  
  
"Well, we don't know what to believe!" Said Lavender, shrugging. "Why don't you tell us?"  
  
'Ha!' Thought Hermione. "No, maybe some other day. I've got to get some work done!"  
  
Lavender shrugged, and the eight of them turned back to each other, and began to take down some notes.  
  
As Hermione was about to start ascending the steps, Parvati turned and called out to Hermione. "Cho told to let you know that me that your prefect shift has changed."  
  
Hermione stopped, and felt as though her heart had stopped too. "What? Changed?"  
  
"Yes," answered Parvati. "You're patrolling duty is tonight, after dinner. Not tomorrow."  
  
"Who will I be patrolling the school with?" Asked Hermione, dreading the answer.  
  
"Draco," said Lavender, without missing a beat. "Er... Is that okay?"  
  
"Yeah," said Hermione weakly. "Just fine." She turned and walked up to her room.  
  
Hermione felt numb as she sat at her desk. How could Cho and Roger do this to her? They knew, didn't they? How could they not? Hermione sighed, wishing she could hit a fast-forward button, and go to the next day.  
  
That evening, at dinner, Hermione ate quietly, and did not say a word, unless someone said anything to her. Ron, not noticing something was amiss, talked on and on, occasionally putting his arm around her shoulders when he asked for her opinion. However, though Hermione's body was at the Gryffindor table, her eyes and mind was at the Slytherin one.  
  
Whenever she made sure no one was watching her, her eyes would look up and flicker briefly in the direction of Draco, who was eating, and poking fun at Goyle and Crabbe, like nothing had happened. Hermione, who felt as though her world was hanging upside down, wondered how he managed to do that. Was it an act, or did he really not care how he had made Hermione feel - angry, hurt, happy, and most of all, confused? Did he really have no feelings for her? Why was he so sweet for one minute, and cold the next? It seemed to her that he changed his personalities the way he changed his clothes. He was so unpredictable!  
  
Hermione couldn't swallow her food anymore. She couldn't even taste it, and she had no clue what she was eating. She knew she'd be sick if she tried. So, she excused herself, and left the Great Hall, wanting to start her duty immediately, so she could end early, and get some much-needed rest. Her hands playing with her wand, she took the usual route, starting from the dungeons. As she passed by the dark potions dungeons, she heard swift footsteps behind her. A quick glance to her right told her it was Draco. She couldn't miss that blond hair of his anywhere.  
  
Without saying a word, he caught up with her, and slowed down so he could keep pace with her. Hermione's heart raced at the speed of light, and she wondered if Draco could hear it, as it seemed to pound in her ears. Just having him close made her feel dizzy and light-headed.  
  
'Oh the things love does to you,' she thought, feeling a little nervous. She told herself she shouldn't lose it this time, but just play it cool, and keep her mind clear.  
  
As she was about to step into a classroom, Draco grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her back.  
  
"What?" She cried out, her voice was scared and shrill.  
  
Draco said nothing, but pointed to the floor. Someone had spilt, or deliberately poured, as Hermione thought, a small puddle of a sticky looking something, which she thought could've been a potion, on the floor. Had Draco not pulled her back, she would've walked on it, and perhaps have a bad fall, apart from the fact that she might have been worst off if the potion was dangerous.  
  
"Thanks," Hermione whispered, bending down to take a closer look at the sticky blob on the floor.  
  
She took out a small piece of parchment from her pocket, tapped it twice and transfigured it into a small glass vial, in which Hermione scooped up some of the unknown substance into it. Placing the cover firmly on the top, she lifted it up to the torch flame, and saw that it was greenish-black, and had small bubbles in it. She slipped it back into her pocket, and with a wave of her wand, the floor was clean.  
  
Chiding herself for not being careful, Hermione told herself to keep her eyes on the floor too. Without meaning to, her mind wandered to how Draco had reached out with his warm, firm hand, and caught hold of her. She remembered the brief look of worry that had flashed in his eyes, when he stopped her, but it had disappeared almost immediately. Hermione sighed, without meaning to, out loud.  
  
Draco turned to her. "Is anything wrong?" He asked, though there was a hint of coldness in his voice.  
  
Hermione forced herself not to look at him. "No. Just... thinking." Hermione hoped he didn't want to know.  
  
"About what?" He asked, glancing to his right, and looking at her. He could see mixed expressions on her face. Something stirred in him, making him want to stop her, and kiss her senseless, right there. He saw her hesitate.  
  
"Oh, just some... Schoolwork," she answered vaguely.  
  
"I see," said Draco, wondering what she was thinking of.  
  
Hermione said nothing, but picked up her pace.  
  
"Why are you running?" He asked, sounding annoyed, as he tried to catch up with her.  
  
"I'm NOT!" She said, stopping and turning to face him. "How slow do you want me to walk? Like this?" She began to inch her way along the floor. "Or should I crawl?"  
  
Draco found himself amused. "Maybe I should carry you," he said, smiling mischievously. Then he lunged forward, and grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up.  
  
Hermione's shrieks echoed loudly. "STOP, DRACO! STOP! NO, I DON'T WANNA - NO, STOP!"  
  
Draco put her down, smirked, and looked her in the eye. "When did you start calling me Draco?"  
  
Hermione looked away, and began to start walking, her mouth set in a grim line.  
  
"I'm talking to you!" Said Draco, hurrying along beside her.  
  
"I know. I'm not deaf!" Hermione snapped, as she trained her eyes on the floor.  
  
Draco did not say anything as he fell behind, and let Hermione take the lead. He wanted to do some thinking.  
  
'What's wrong with you?' He asked himself. 'Why are you always treating Hermione this way?' Draco stopped momentarily. 'Hermione? I'm calling her Hermione?' He resumed walking. 'Tell yourself the truth: Do you like her or not? Why are you playing cat-and-mouse with her?' They went up a staircase. 'What if Weasel comes along, and snatches her right away from you? Wait - Why should I care?' It's not as if I like her, do I? Do I?'  
  
Draco stopped suddenly. Hermione had stopped too, and was peering into a broom cupboard. Muttering to her self, she shut the door, shook her head, and continued walking. Draco sped up to her.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked.  
  
Hermione looked puzzled. "I thought I heard faint voices in there."  
  
Draco felt her forehead. "Are you okay? Do you want to go to Madam Pomfrey?"  
  
Hermione smacked his hand away. "If you don't believe me, then go eat slugs, Dra- Malfoy!" She snarled, reminding her self of Ron, when he had tried to get back at Draco for calling her 'mudblood', when they were in their second year.  
  
"Come on, Granger! It's a broom cupboard, for crying out loud!"  
  
Hermione looked coldly at him. "Then maybe Harry would have an explanation for it. I'm sure there's no one using an invisibility cloak. And - oh, never mind," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'll just see what Harry thinks."  
  
"Yeah," said Draco, spite in his voice. "Go ask Potter. Good, great, wonderful potter. Get him and Weasel to protect you, is that right?"  
  
Hermione glared at him. "If you don't like my friends, shut up. You an at least try to keep a civil tongue the way they usually do."  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes, as he tried to carry on walking without bumping into the statues. "What is that supposed to mean?"  
  
Hermione shrugged. "Whatever I meant it to be," she said.  
  
Draco, who did not want to end his duty with another fight with Hermione, decided to let it go. However, it seemed Hermione did not mind, fight or not.  
  
"And what did you tell the other sixth-year prefects?" Said Hermione, frowning angrily.  
  
"The truth," said Draco, smirking.  
  
"You liar!" Snarled Hermione. "You twisted the whole story!"  
  
"Oh, really?" Said Draco, coolly. "Not from what I remembered."  
  
"Well, then you must have an awfully short memory if that's what you remembered!" Said Hermione, feeling angry, though it seemed she wasn't as annoyed as she usually was. Maybe it was the way Draco was looking at her.  
  
"Whatever you say, Hermione..." He smirked, as they reached the last tower.  
  
"Hermione?" Said Hermione. It was her turn to smirk. "Since when did you call me Hermione?"  
  
Draco rolled his eyes at her. "Just drop it, Granger."  
  
"Drop it?" Hermione repeated. "Just drop it?"  
  
"Girls," was all Draco said, as they made their way back to the prefects' tower.  
  
"Hey!" Hermione cried out. "Watch it!" She grabbed Draco's arm.  
  
Draco looked down, and saw some more of the potion, or that sticky substance on the floor. "This is weird," he said, bending down, and looking closely at it.  
  
Hermione bent down, next to him. "What is it?"  
  
Draco reached down to touch it, but Hermione caught his arm. "No! Are you crazy! You don't even know what it is!"  
  
"Not know what is what, Miss Granger?"  
  
Hermione and Draco turned their heads, and saw Professor Snape standing over them, almost blocking out the light from the torch behind him.  
  
They stood up at once. "Good evening, professor," said Draco formally. "Gran- Hermione and I were patrolling the castle, and this is the second puddle we've found. We aren't certain what this is."  
  
Snape took a closer look at the substance. He was silent. Hermione spoke up.  
  
"I have a glass vial of it, professor," said Hermione, drawing out the vial from her pocket.  
  
Snape took it from her, and held it up to the fire. He looked grim. With a wave of his wand, he cleared the potion. "Where did you find the other puddle?" he asked, looking down at them.  
  
"Near the broom cupboard on the third floor, sir," said Draco.  
  
"But we've cleared it," said Hermione. "Er - sir, could you please tell us what that is?'  
  
Snape diverted his gaze from the bottle onto Hermione, who suddenly felt like a jobberknoll trying to outstare a lethifold. "I'm not absolutely sure, Miss Granger," he said, making Hermione suspect he was not telling the truth. "But should either of you find another puddle with this, you are to let me know AT ONCE. Is that clear, Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger?"  
  
The two of them nodded, and they left Snape to stare weirdly at the vial.  
  
Hermione wondered what it was, and decided to tell Harry and Ron the next day. But in the meanwhile, she was going back to her room to try to find out for herself. Ordinarily, she would have put it off to the next day, but she felt it must have been dangerous or important, or Snape would not have stared at the substance like that. Then an awful though struck Hermione: had someone deliberately put it there to harm her or Draco, or the both of them, or was the potion connected to Voldemort? Changing her mind, Hermione decided to tell Ron and Harry before trying to research it on her own. From the look on Draco's face, she could tell he too, wanted to find out what that potion was. 


	21. The Imperius Potion

I would like your opinions on whether I should start another story. It'll probably be called "Ginny's Diary" or "Hermione's Diary"... I dunno... What do you think? Let me know! Sorry, this is short! It's LATE!!  
  
Chapter 21  
  
"He did what?" Ron said, looking up from the reference book in his hands.  
  
"He didn't tell?" Said Harry, a little drowsily.  
  
"That's right," said Hermione, taking the book from Ron, and flipping through it. "This is what I think it is." She held out the book to Harry and Ron, who were seated on her bed, trying to get rid of their sleepy look.  
  
"The 'Trapping' Potion," read out Harry. His green eyes scanned the page, and then they flicked back to the top of the first paragraph. "The 'trapping' potion was most commonly used when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was in power. It was brewed by skilled Death Eaters, and used to 'trap' a person's soul, and control it. This potion was sometimes used, instead of the Imperius Curse (An Unforgivable Curse; a person under it is controlled totally, by the person who cast the spell. It can be broken by pure concentration and sheer hard will, but few are able to do so.) , which requires a wand. It was a potion invented by Gregory Grayment, in 1854, and though it takes up to three days for the potion to work, it is, by far, more effective than the Imperius Curse. The only known way to break the spell of the potion, is to brew the complex 'Releasing' Potion (refer to page 186), which can take up to 2 weeks to brew and simmer."  
  
Harry looked up. He saw Ron's pale face, and Hermione's relatively calm face.  
  
"Let me see that," said Ron, as he took the book from Harry, and stared, thunderstruck at it. For several minutes, he was silent. When he'd finished, he held out the book to Hermione, who took it, and sank into he chair.  
  
"Do you think that's what it is?" Asked Hermione, frowning down, as she began to flip towards the end of the book.  
  
"What are you looking for?" Said Ron, tensely.  
  
"The 'Releasing' potion," said Hermione, as she ran her finger down a page. "Yes," she said. "This is it." After scanning briefly through the text, and digesting the information, she held out the book towards Ron and Harry.  
  
"The 'Releasing' potion," read out Harry, slowly. As he was about to continue, a large, majestic eagle owl swooped in, and landed gracefully on Hermione's table. It held out the leg which had a letter tied neatly to it with a thin piece of what looked like dragon hide.  
  
Staring momentarily at Harry and Ron, who obviously recognized the owl, Hermione turned back, and slipped the letter off the owl's foot, and opened it slowly.  
  
'Hermione,  
  
Have you found out already, what the potion is? I've been looking through all my books, and I believe what we found was a 'Trapping' potion. I'd like to talk to you in person. Please see me tomorrow morning, I the common room at 6 in the morning. Don't be late, and wear something warm. Don't ask, and don't tell Potter and Weasel.  
  
Reply.  
  
-Draco.'  
  
"Well?" Said Ron, as he watched her gently and carefully fold up the letter, and putting it into her top drawer.  
  
"Dra- Malfoy thinks he knows what that potion is," said Hermione, after quickly planning what to say.  
  
"And?" Said Ron, looking more wide-awake than ever.  
  
"That's it," said Hermione lightly, getting out a quill, and beginning to write.  
  
'Draco,  
  
I hope this isn't a trick of yours, but all the same, I'll meet you.  
  
-Hermione.'  
  
Hastily, Hermione folded up the letter, and tied it to Draco's owl's leg, sent it off. Hermione rubbed her temples, and walked to the window. To the boy's surprise, she took out her wand, and tapped the bottom of the window- sill once. It shimmered, and Hermione tapped it once more.  
  
"Wow," said Ron, gawking at the window, which had opened up to reveal a balcony. "How'd you do that? You didn't show this to us the last time we were here." He and Harry stood up, and followed Hermione out into the balcony.  
  
"It was an accident, really," said Hermione, stifling a yawn, as she watched Draco's owl swoop into a nearby tower. "My wand was sticking out of my pocket when I leant against the sill about two nights ago. Then, the wall just sort of shimmered, so I tapped it again, and, this is what I found!" She announced in a triumphant kind of tone.  
  
"Are you - sure it's safe?" Said Harry, taking a tentative step forward.  
  
"Positive!" Said Hermione, leaning on the low stonewall of the balcony. It was a chilly night, and Hermione shivered, as Ron and Harry moved up and flanked her.  
  
"Cold?" Said Ron in a low voice, discreetly snaking his right arm around her, and drawing her closer to him.  
  
Hermione felt a slight tinge of guilt. She felt as though she was betraying Draco, in a way. She didn't feel comfortable, and gently pulled away from Ron. "I'm going inside," said Hermione, avoiding making eye contact with Ron. "I need to get some sleep. Anyway, it's Friday tomorrow, remember? School!" She reminded them, stepping into the comforting warmth of her room.  
  
"Right," said Ron, looking a little disappointed. "Let's go, Harry," he said, his voice had a little disappointment in it, which Harry and Hermione did not miss.  
  
As if to make him feel better, Hermione tiptoed and gave Ron a light kiss near his lips, before he and Harry left. "Good night," she said softly, as she left saw them out the portrait. Then, she turned, and saw Draco watching her with a strange expression on his face. 


	22. Running Away

Hi, everyone!! Sorry this is soooo late! All I seemed to be able to do after school was complete my homework, down some dinner, and drift off (Go ask psychopeanut!), so here's the 22nd chapter... In the next chapter, I'm going to thank EACH AND EVERY reviewer at the beginning of the chapter, so look out for your name if you've reviewed! I have a lot of time, as I just came back from my Guides' meeting, and I have the WHOLE afternoon ahead of me, so I guess this chapter will be *slightly* longer!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 22  
  
"What?" Said Hermione, saying the first thing that came to her mind, her voice much higher than usual.  
  
"What, what?" Sneered Draco, taking the last few steps two at a time.  
  
"No, why are you looking at me like that?" Said Hermione, falling into a couch, and massaging her throbbing temples.  
  
"Like what?" Draco queried, as he gracefully lowered himself into the seat across from Hermione. "What look did I have on my face?"  
  
Hermione shook her head. "Never mind, Draco," she sighed, feeling a little disappointed for no apparent reason. "Forget it."  
  
Hermione blinked a few times, as though to clear her mind, then stood up. To her surprise, Draco reached out for her hand, and pulled her next to him.  
  
Hermione fiercely pulled her hand away from Draco, and glared at him. "What do you want, you weirdo?"  
  
Draco smirked. "You."  
  
Hermione jumped up from the couch. "Give me a break, Malfoy!" She said, unintentionally calling him by his second name. Her pitch began to rise, along with the pink on her cheeks. "First you treat me like a nothing, then you push me away, then you want me back, and then you push me away again! What DO you want? I'm not a yo-yo, so make up your mind!"  
  
Draco stood up to his full height, but Hermione did not flinch. "So what if I can't make up my mind?" He snarled. "Can't I even find out what it's like to have you for my own?"  
  
"No, you can't! It's okay for your other girls, Malfoy, but I'm not the same!" A sob escaped her lips, and Hermione turned, and made a dash for the staircase.  
  
Draco was not about to let her get away again without a chase. He took a firm grip of her arm, and pulled her back. Roughly, he grabbed her shoulder, and turned her around to face him.  
  
"Run, Granger, run! You always run when there's trouble, don't you? Why don't you stay and fight?" Draco spat.  
  
Hermione struggled fiercely. "Not when it's a jerk I'm facing!" She half- yelled, giving a final tug. She was free! Not wasting another moment, she ran all the way up to her room, and shut the door with a loud bang. She couldn't care less if half the Prefects woke up. Not when she had her own whirlwind of thoughts to sort out.  
  
What was wrong with Draco? He was always playing with her feelings, like she was a yo-yo. Hermione wasn't a player. She only played for keeps, but Draco was bending the rules like they were nothing, and she wasn't going to let Draco walk all over her, when he felt like it.  
  
Hermione fell into bed, and before she could go over the trashed-up thoughts in her head, the cool breeze, which blew in from the balcony she had forgotten to Seal, lulled her to sleep.  
  
  
  
Draco lay on his bed, and stared into nothingness. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, and couldn't feel. He was numb; like an empty shell. Why couldn't he make up his mind? Hermione was right. He was toying with her feelings; like a yo-yo. But every time he saw her with Ron, he was certain he felt something for her, but when she was alone with him - some thing overcame him, and he didn't want to treat her well. It sounded corny, even to himself that he wanted to kick himself.  
  
His thoughts wandered to the next day. He was certain Hermione would not want to meet him anymore. 'Might as well forget it,' he thought, then sleep overcame his numb mind, and he too, fell asleep. 


	23. Help Me

As I promised, here are my BIG, BIG, BIG, THANK YOUs! To *deep breath*... Obsessed, S_Star, Psychopeanut (though you didn't EXACTLY review... LOL), Nessie, Kris10michelle, Ariel, Illusen, Lauren, 'Chloe E Zephyr' (Who is really my sister, but she reviewed while I was logged in... Forgot to log out, see?), S.E.A., Coeur-de-ma-vie (Whoa!), Jen Drake, Kylie (Minouge?), Eriol's Bear (sounds cute and fuzzy!), Kelpiemonkey, HELLO (Hi?), ::JAC:: (P3iYi... You copy =^-_-^=!!), Angelcat221 (Meow!), MelissaAdams, Jase, Hedwig7up, Ann, bcflirt4eva02, Haleigh, Destiny, Arime Setta (Yup, okay, I'll e-mail you... No prob!), and M-X (I'll try to hurry along as best as I can!) ... Phew! That was pretty long! Anyway, thanks to ALL of you! You've been REALLY fantastic reviewers! Thanks! Here's the next chapter!  
  
Chapter 23  
  
At breakfast the next day, Hermione tried to concentrate on what she was doing. When she was asked questions on homework, and other minor stuff, she just managed to give vague answers. The world was just a blur. Like a fast- forward gone wrong. The only one, who stood out like clear water, was Draco. His blond hair, neatly slicked back, his orderly uniform, and his calm, expressionless face, was a picture of perfection to Hermione, who glanced up from time to time to gaze listlessly at him, not really caring if anyone saw her or not.  
  
"What's your first class, Hermione?" Said Ron, shoveling a spoonful of scrambled eggs into his mouth. "Hermione?"  
  
"Huh? What?" Said Hermione jerking unpleasantly out of her reverie. She gave Ron a bewildered look.  
  
"I said," said Ron, his impatience clear in his voice, "what is your first class?" He deliberately spoke slowly as though she was dumb. "Is it Transfiguration with us?"  
  
"Yeah," said Hermione, looking down at her plate, without her usual 'can't you remember? It's already the second week of school?'  
  
Ron, annoyed, shrugged, at Harry and Ginny, and went back to observing what others were doing.  
  
Ginny leant forward. "Hermione? Is anything the matter?"  
  
Hermione stared blankly at Ginny. "Anything the matter? What do you - Oh, no, nothing, Ginny. Everything's - fine. Just fine."  
  
Harry and Ginny exchanged worried glances. What was wrong with Hermione?  
  
"Hermione, have you done the write up on the different species of trolls for our Care of Magical Creatures class? Hagrid told us to do that, remember?" Said Harry, making another stab at conversation.  
  
"Uh, I suppose I did. I remember doing research after lunch yesterday..." Hermione trailed off. "I guess I'll see you in Transfiguration, okay? I - I want to get something from my room," said Hermione, though all she wanted to do was lie down, and perhaps take a short nap. There was no way she'd pay attention in class in this state. She stood up, and gathered her books.  
  
Fortunately, Harry and Ron's backs were to the Slytherin table, and did not see Draco rise, along with Hermione. Ginny noticed, but decided not to comment. However, she wondered if his leaving the Great Hall had anything to do with Hermione, who was a few paces ahead of him before the doors closed behind them.  
  
Outside, Hermione knew Draco was behind her. He was the only one who's presence she could somehow differentiate. She stopped and turned around.  
  
"Out with it," she said, taking in his familiar features.  
  
"Out with what?" Said Draco, deciding to play innocent.  
  
"You followed me, and you know it. Tell me," she demanded, feeling a little giddy.  
  
Draco knew he couldn't run or hide. "Sorry," he said, looking at the floor in between them.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You heard me."  
  
"I know, you thick-skulled ferret. I meant 'what' as in, for what? Sorry for what?"  
  
"Yesterday," Draco answered, bolding looking into her eyes with his piercing stare, which made almost everyone, cower. Especially Neville.  
  
Hermione didn't say anything. She felt the world begin to spin. She fell to the floor. In an instant, Draco swooped down, and gently gripped her shoulders, just in case she fainted, as she seemed dazed-looking to him, and not her usual, alert look.  
  
"Are you okay?" he said in an urgent voice.  
  
"I'm... Okay. Just a little... Tired," she whispered, her eyes closing slowly.  
  
"Hermione!" Draco whispered, though he wasn't sure why, as he gently shook her shoulders.  
  
Hermione's eyes fluttered open. "Draco. Draco, please take me to my room. I - I feel... Awful. Please. Help me..."  
  
Then, to Draco's horror, her head fell onto his shoulder. Her eyes closed, and her body, which was leaning in onto him, went limp. 


	24. The Words You Do Not Say Makes A Big Dif...

To my latest reviewers, The Blue Flying Lunch Box (there's this DJ I used to listen to, called The Flying Dutchman. By chance, you're not related are you?), Melanie, Sarah Ferris, Wan, Cute-crazy-chick1, and Larz, who missed the last chapter, when I was thanking my reviewers... Your reviews came in late. I read them through my e-mail. But, yup... This slightly longer chapter is for YOU too! XOXO  
  
Chapter 24  
  
"She just ... No, I was just ... Yes ... As soon ... I will ... Right, fine ..."  
  
Voices... Those voices... Were they talking about her? Could she say something too? No. She couldn't. She listened again, to the voices, which slowly became clearer.  
  
"But I want to ... They will ... Come later ... To bring ... Hermione isn't ..."  
  
'Draco,' she thought drowsily. 'Draco is here!' Excitement and frustration bubbled up inside her. He was there! He cared about her, after all! But she couldn't tell him she was okay, and not to worry. Then a new voice interrupted the conversation. Hermione's eyes fluttered slightly. Ron, Harry were making a huge racket, trying to get in. Was Ginny with them?  
  
"NO! WE CAME TO ... PLEASE ... US IN!"  
  
Hermione couldn't hear anymore after that, she relapsed into silence.  
  
Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were arguing with Madam Pomfrey to let them in. Ginny was there, but she was silent.  
  
"PLEASE let us in! You always let me and Hermione in when Harry was here, and his injuries were WORSE!" Said Ron. "PLEASE!"  
  
"No, boys," said Madam Pomfrey. "Hermione's just over-worked, and she needs to relax. Nothing should excite her just yet!"  
  
"But MALFOY'S inside," argued Harry. "What's HE doing with her?"  
  
"He's the one who was with Hermione when she fainted. I want to know what happened. And he's a prefect, so I could use his help."  
  
Ron's face contorted with fury.  
  
"Please, Madam Pomfrey?" Said Ginny, who was quiet all that while. "We'd just like to see Hermione!"  
  
Madam Pomfrey had a soft spot for Ginny, as she often saw how her six elder brothers kept her in shadow. She finally consented.  
  
"Okay, but ONLY FIVE MINUTES! And DON'T try to bargain, you three!" She said, holding the door wide open.  
  
Ron dashed in and ran towards Hermione's bed. He pushed Draco aside. "Shove off, ferret," said Ron.  
  
Draco stepped back, but said nothing. He watched as Harry, Ron and Ginny crowded around her. But his attention was focused most on Ron, who was obviously the most concerned. He kept feeling Hermione's forehead and cheeks every few seconds, and asking Madam Pomfrey if she was sure that she'd be all right.  
  
Draco felt a sharp stab of annoyance. 'You weren't so concerned when Hermione was so aloof at breakfast, you Weasel,' he felt like lashing out at Ron. 'I was all the way across the hall, but I saw, and I followed her.'  
  
Draco's eyes diverted themselves to Hermione's expressionless face. 'How calm she looks,' he thought, a smile creeping onto his face. 'How peaceful.' Draco stopped himself. The smile faded, if not evaporated. 'Wait, what am I doing?' He smirked. Then he turned his head and looked around the infirmary, pretending to be most interested. However, barely a minute later, his eyes were upon Hermione again.  
  
"There," he heard Madam Pomfrey say, as she took Ron and Ginny firmly but gently by their hands. "You have to get to your first lesson. You're already ten minutes late."  
  
"To hell with Transfiguration," Draco heard Ron mutter under his breathe, as he and Ginny reluctantly allowed themselves to be led away. Harry threw a death glare at Draco, and mouthed 'You're dead', then turned, and walked after Madam Pomfrey and his friends.  
  
Draco, after ascertained that they were out of sight, he stepped up to Hermione's bed, and looked at her, as he felt his hearty begin to soften. He ran a pale finger down the side of her face.  
  
"Hermione," he whispered. "I'll come back later."  
  
Then, he too turned, and headed for Transfiguration.  
  
  
  
"Mr. Malfoy!" Called out all the professors in their respective lessons. "Please pay attention!"  
  
Then, Draco would give a start, and continue taking down his notes or his doing his work once more. He knew Harry and Ron were smirking and glaring at his back whenever this happened. He didn't care. All he could think of was whether Hermione, who lay as still as death in the infirmary was okay. Sometimes, he would stop himself, but against his will, his mind would stray to her, and he'd worry all over again.  
  
He was thankful for lunch. Hastily wolfing down some steak, he got up, and ran all the way to the infirmary. Slowly, he opened the door. Fortunately, Harry, Ron and Ginny were not there. 'Yet,' he thought, as he slid in through the small opening in the door, which he had not quite bothered to open fully.  
  
Hermione's eyes were still shut; her expression had not changed in the slightest. Without planning or meaning to, Draco ran his fingers through her hair. 'She was right. Her hair wasn't bushy. It was wavy now,' he thought, leaning forward and taking a whiff. It reminded Draco of a field of flowers on a bright summer's day. It made him feel warm and contented.  
  
Suddenly, without warning, Hermione grabbed his wrist. Draco froze, his heart in his mouth. Hermione's calm brown eyes opened, and met his scared blue-gray ones.  
  
"Scared you, did I?" She whispered the same way she had earlier on, after breakfast. Then, she smiled softly. "I'm sorry."  
  
It sounded more like a taunt, but Draco wasn't angry. "It's okay," he whispered. Then, realizing that the hand which Hermione was gripping, was still in her hair, he immediately pulled his hand away, and tried to pretend that nothing has happened.  
  
"What were you doing?" She asked.  
  
Draco didn't answer her, and looked away.  
  
"Why am I here? Where are Harry and Ron? Where's Ron? Is he - I mean, are they okay?" Hermione's voice rose slightly, as she made an attempt to get up.  
  
Draco silenced her with a hand over her mouth, and gently pushed her back down onto her pillow. Then he pulled his hand away. "Shhh, shhh. They're okay. They're - They're at lunch," he said, not meeting her puzzled gaze. "They'll be coming here later."  
  
"They told you?" Her voice was surprised.  
  
"No," he admitted. "I think. But I'm sure they will."  
  
Then, Hermione asked the question which made Draco uncomfortable. "What are YOU doing here, running your hand through my 'bushy' hair?"  
  
Draco tried not to squirm. He just HAD to leave right now, or Hermione would torture him endlessly. "Better get well, soon," was all he said. "Or I'll have to do duty alone tonight."  
  
"Like you care!" Giggled Hermione, sitting up. With a tinge of sadness, she watched Draco leave. As he was about to open the door, it flew open in his face, and Harry, Ron and Ginny nearly charged him down.  
  
Ron's face turned ugly. "What are YOU doing here, Malfoy?"  
  
"Visiting a fellow prefect, Weasel. Problem with that?" Draco said coolly.  
  
Hermione felt a rush of affection towards Draco. 'He never lets anyone push him around, all right,' she thought, a smile spreading on her face.  
  
"Get lost, Malfoy," said Ginny, to Harry's enormous surprise.  
  
Draco said nothing, but pushed Harry aside as he left, his cloak billowing behind him. Hermione quickly wiped the smile off her face, as Harry, Ron and Ginny approached her.  
  
"Brought your, er - homework, Hermione," said Ginny, holding up a small pile of books and pieces of parchment, which she had just taken from Harry. "Are you sure you want it?"  
  
Hermione laughed. "Give it to me, Ginny!"  
  
Ginny smiled, and put the pile on the table at the end of Hermione's bed. "How are you?" She asked, as Ron tried to be discreet in touching her forehead.  
  
Hermione playfully batted his hand away. "Come ON, Ron, I'm all right! Feeling better!"  
  
"Funny that you are, after Malfoy just visited you," Ron said, his voice was sour.  
  
Hermione had to bite her tongue to stop herself from smiling. "He was okay. Civil, really."  
  
Harry looked doubtfully at her. "If you want, we could -."  
  
"NO!" Said Hermione, a little too quickly. Harry and Ron looked worriedly at her. Ginny had a rough guess what had happened.  
  
"Well," said Harry, awkwardly as he sneaked a glance at Ron, "if you need anything else, just let us know. We'll be - around."  
  
Hermione looked blankly at him. "Am I supposed to holler the whole castle down to reach any of you?"  
  
Harry and Ron looked blankly back at her. "Oh, right," said Harry. "Accio Hedwig!"  
  
There was a whooshing sound, as a white ball of feathers flew in through the window, and landed with a soft thump on Hermione's blankets.  
  
Hedwig gave an indignant hoot, as she spread her wings and fastened her annoyed glare on Harry.  
  
"Stay here, girl," said Harry. "Hermione'll use you for communication with us."  
  
"Only you?" Said Hermione, her heart thinking longingly of Draco.  
  
"Er - and others," said Harry, taking another glance at Ron, who was looking enquiringly at Hermione.  
  
"Harry and I will wait for you outside, Ron," said Ginny, getting the feeling that her brother wanted to say something to Hermione in private. Then, she took Harry's hand, and dragged him out, shutting the door behind them with a light thud. Hedwig, as though she understood that this was a private moment, flew out the window, and sat on a rafter nearby.  
  
Hermione looked at Ron expectantly, and leant back into her pillows.  
  
"I -," Ron started.  
  
Hermione leant forward slightly, as she played with her fingers. "Yes?"  
  
"I - I hope you're okay," said Ron going red. That was not what he wanted to say, and he hoped Hermione did not suspect anything.  
  
Apparently, she didn't. She gave a soft sigh, and fell back onto her pillows. "I am," she said, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice, as she looked down at her hands.  
  
"Er, well, I guess I'll see you later, okay?" Said Ron, feeling more awkward than ever. Why couldn't he find the right words to say to Hermione?  
  
"Yeah," said Hermione, vaguely. "Later."  
  
Then, Ron turned, and left, wishing he wasn't so shy.  
  
When the door closed, Hedwig flew in, and perched on the bed next to Hermione, and put her head under her wing. Hermione let out a loud, slow sigh. Why was Ron so SHY? Why wasn't he like Draco? He was so sure of himself, and not afraid to express himself. Unless, of course, Hermione made him feel awkward, with her questions.  
  
However, Hermione doubted that she would ever love Ron as much as she did Draco, if he had Draco's fearlessness. She couldn't explain why, but Draco just made her feel... Safe. Secure. Happy. She wanted to feel like that, as though nothing could ever harm her. Hermione smiled, as she arranged herself in a more comfortable position. Then, she leant forward, and reached out for her Transfiguration textbook, and began to do her homework, never once ceasing to think of Draco. 


	25. Looking Danger Right In The Face

To Willowfairy, who missed out, when I was thanking everyone else!  
  
Chapter 25  
  
"I'm FINE!" Hermione tried to argue with the matron, who was bent on making her stay at the hospital wing. "I have my DUTY tonight!"  
  
"Duty or not, you have to stay here Miss Granger. You're over-worked, and I want to ensure that you're perfectly all right before I discharge you!" Said Madam Pomfrey, trying to get Hermione to lie down.  
  
Hermione squirmed away from her grasp. Nothing, and no one, was going to stop her from seeing Draco after dinner. What if Draco found more of the Trapping Potion? She shuddered. She jumped nimbly off the bed, and grabbed her pile of homework off the table.  
  
"I HAVE to go! You don't understand!" She said, reaching out for her cloak. Then, she made a dash for the door. She knew what it was like to be rebellious now. She gripped the doorknob firmly, and threw the door open.  
  
Professor Dumbledore stood there, his hand just inches away from where the doorknob was a few seconds ago. Madam Pomfrey quickly put her hand on Hermione's shoulder, and began to speak quickly to the professor.  
  
"Sir, please talk some sense into Miss Granger! She wants to have dinner with her friends, and do her duty afterwards! Would you please -?"  
  
Professor Dumbledore held up his hand, as Hermione opened her mouth to argue with him too. "Miss Granger, you understand that it is only the second week of school, and you are already over-worked, don't you?"  
  
Hermione nodded slowly, fearing the worst.  
  
"But," the old man said slowly, his eyes twinkling, "Since you're convinced you're okay, I don't see why you shouldn't join the feast."  
  
Hermione's eyes lit up.  
  
"Headmaster -," started Madam Pomfrey.  
  
"Now, now, Poppy, the feast is about to start in ten minutes, so get ready for the feast, why don't you?"  
  
Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips, narrowed her eyes at Hermione, and went into her office, slamming the door behind her.  
  
Hermione could've danced for joy. "Thank you, sir! You don't know how much this means to me!" She breathed, restraining herself from dropping her things, and hugging him.  
  
He merely smiled down at her, winked, and said, "Well, maybe I do, Miss Granger. Maybe I do."  
  
Then, thanking him for the last time, Hermione sprinted all the way up to her room, with Hedwig hooting softly, as she tried to keep up. Dropping her things on her bed, she hurriedly changed into a newly-pressed set of school uniform, did her tie, and left her room, while pinning the badge onto the front of her school sweater, her cloak over her shoulder. Hedwig flew out through her window, into the cold night.  
  
In less than five minutes, Hermione was at the hall. She stopped at the entrance, as her eyes scanned the crowd. Draco, who had spotted her before anyone else had, merely gave her a slight nod, and turned back to his friends. Then, Ginny, whose eyes had been wandering around at the hall, as though looking for someone, saw her, and began to wave energetically. Ron and Harry followed her gaze, and saw Hermione, who began to walk up to them, smiling.  
  
"Hermione!" Cried Ginny, throwing her arms around Hermione. "Welcome back!" She said, stepping back.  
  
Hermione laughed, and sat down in their usual place and position; opposite Harry and Ron, whose backs were to the Slytherins, with Ginny on her left side.  
  
Seamus, who was seated on Hermione's right, pretended to throw his arms around her. "Hermione!" He shrilled exaggeratedly, "Welcome back!"  
  
Hermione laughed out again, and mockingly pushed him away. "Ooh," came the teasing echoes from Dean and Lavender.  
  
Professor Dumbledore strode in a while later, with Professor Snape behind him. Both looked grim.  
  
After taking their seats, Professor Dumbledore merely waved his hand, without even saying, "Let the feast begin", and turned to talk to Professor McGonagall, in a low tone.  
  
Hermione studied them carefully, as she allowed Ginny to spoon some soup into her bowl for her. She wondered if Professor Snape had finally told Professor Dumbledore about the Trapping Potion, and if Professor Dumbledore was discussing it with Professor McGonagall, who looked more serious by the minute.  
  
"Hey, Herm," said Ron, trying to get her attention. "Want some of this chicken gravy?"  
  
Hermione nodded, and turned back to the Professors, who were silent. She turned back, and tried to focus on her dinner  
  
Dinner continued as usual. As Hermione was about to help herself to her third helping of roast beef, she saw Draco stand up, and walk briskly towards the doors, which led to several routes, one of which led to an almost-direct path to the dungeons.  
  
Hermione excused herself, and left after Draco. When she was just behind him, she put out a hand, and took his shoulder. "Hey," she said, smiling at the back of his head.  
  
He stopped, turned around, and looked down at her. Hermione felt her smile fade.  
  
"I have the answer," he said, looking seriously into her eyes.  
  
"Answer?" She repeated, puzzled. "What answer? Are we playing Trivia?"  
  
"No. The answer to your question. The one you asked before I left."  
  
"Oh, that one. Okay, what is it?"  
  
"I came to see you because -."  
  
"Mr. Malfoy? Miss Granger? Could I have a minute of your time?"  
  
The two of them turned, and saw Professor Dumbledore standing there, looking uncharacteristically grave.  
  
"Yes, sir," they said in unison as they allowed Professor Dumbledore lead them towards his office.  
  
Hermione, though she had a great respect for the headmaster, felt a little annoyed, as she'd have to find out the answer from Draco later. She glanced at Draco, and saw that he looked somewhat relieved.  
  
Professor Dumbledore stopped outside the distinctive gargoyle to his office. "Fizzing Whizbees," he said. The other two hopped onto the moving stairs behind him, and tried not to look at the scared expressions on each other's face. What had they done? Was it because they had stopped to talk for a minute on their duty? Just a minute! What was wrong with that?  
  
Professor Dumbledore sat behind his desk, and motioned to Hermione and Draco to sit. Stiffly, they fell into the seats opposite the headmaster, and looked at their hands.  
  
"Now," he said, still in a serious tone. "Professor Snape has just told me this evening that the two of you found two puddles of potions while on duty, and I would like to have your word, that I can trust you."  
  
Hermione looked uncomfortable. "Professor, I already -."  
  
"Told Harry and Ron?" he said, his eyes twinkling. "Yes, I am well aware of that." Smiling at Hermione's surprised look, he continued. "They will join us after dinner, and I trust they will arrive soon," he finished, just as they heard the stone begin to shift. "Ah, here they are." He rose, and Hermione and Draco followed suit. They looked worriedly at each other.  
  
However, it was not Harry and Ron who stepped off the stairs. It was Professor McGonagall, and Hermione could've sworn she'd never looked this grim before. And they soon found out why.  
  
"Headmaster," she said, seriously, searching for something within the folds of her cloak. "This is very serious. Severus and I found a big puddle of the... potion on the second floor. We have sent all the pupils to their dorms. But if you'd like to see -."  
  
Then, she held out a small glass vial, and, as light fell on it, Hermione and Draco saw that it was, without a doubt, the Trapping Potion. 


	26. Tell No One

To my l8est reviewers, Fearless, DKG, Clare (OH NO! Was I THAT descriptive??), Lilbleappleblossom and Gryfyndor Girl... Sorry this is a WHOLE WEEK late! I was banned from the computer... Someone said I was spending too much time on it... So just make do with this, okay? Sorry!  
  
Chapter 26  
  
"Minerva, where -?" Dumbledore held out his hand.  
  
Trembling, McGonagall lowered the bottle into his hand. "The astronomy tower floor was half-covered. Lucky Severus had seen it, before me, or I'd have stepped in it!"  
  
Dumbledore put the glass vial on his desk, and looked at them over his half-moon glasses. 'I hope you realize how serious this is, Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy?"  
  
"Yes, professor," they said quietly, stunned.  
  
The staircase began to move. Hermione and Draco looked expectantly at the staircase. Hermione could see Draco's hand on his wand. Shuddering, she put her hand on her wand too, and waited.  
  
It was Harry and Ron, with Snape, who was staring vindictively at Harry out of the corner of his eyes.  
  
"Headmaster," said Snape, nodding curtly, Harry and Ron echoing him.  
  
"Very well. Since you are all here, I shall go straight to the point. As all of you know what this potion is, I would like you not to tell any of the other students about it. It is not a potential danger - yet, but I would like to keep this matter quiet, until we find the culprit who has been brewing this. Meanwhile, I'd like all of you to be on guard. Look out for all of your friends, and ensure that everyone is safe. I will tell the Head boy and girl about this," said Dumbledore, lifting up the bottle and peering at it once more. "You may leave. Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight," they answered, and left the office, their thoughts in a jumble.  
  
Outside, Hermione was the first to speak. "Who can it be?" She said softly, feeling vulnerable. Her eyes were trained on the floor, as they walked on.  
  
"And why," said Ron, who was on Hermione's right. He put an arm around Hermione's shoulders.  
  
Draco tried not to look at Ron, or Hermione, who looked as though she appreciated Ron's arm around her. Like Ron was supporting her. Draco wanted to be the one who supported her. "It must be a death-eater," said Draco, his eyes filled with concentration.  
  
"Why?" Said Ron, sounding a little harsh. "Because your father told you about this, didn't he?"  
  
"RON!" Said Hermione, shivering, putting an arm on his chest. "Fighting among ourselves isn't going to help! Please! Keep your head!"  
  
Draco, who was on Hermione's other side, simply kept quiet. He didn't need to see that.  
  
"Hurry up," said Hermione, glad that Draco had not lost his temper with Ron. "Draco and I will send you back to the Gryffindor tower, then we'll head back to our tower."  
  
Ron tried to argue, but Hermione would not hear of it.  
  
All the while, Harry was quiet. When they were outside the portrait, he said softly, "I'll write to Snuffles. He might have a clue."  
  
After saying goodnight to her friends, Hermione turned, and walked slowly alongside Draco.  
  
"Are you okay?" Asked Draco, after he had ensured that Harry and Ron had closed the portrait door behind them.  
  
"I - I don't know," admitted Hermione. "I don't know how much more I can take! I hope I don't bend under all these pressure!"  
  
"You never seemed to have any difficulty before," said Draco, glancing sideways at her.  
  
Hermione was silent. "Times are different, Draco," she said softly. "I've got other concerns on my plate too."  
  
"I'm here for you," said Draco, without thinking.  
  
Hermione stopped and stared at him. "Excuse me?"  
  
Draco walked on, not glancing back. "Nothing," he said loftily, as she hurried to fall in step with him.  
  
Hermione did not pursue the subject. They were silent, all the way to their tower. When they were about to part, there was an awkward silence. They stood in front of the wall between the staircases and stared at each other.  
  
Hermione's brown eyes looked imploringly into Draco's silver ones. Suddenly, he held his arms open, and Hermione fell into them.  
  
Her tears fell unbidden.  
  
"Draco, I-," Hermione tried to say.  
  
"Hush now," he said softly, holding on to her, feeling the tornado that was his feelings get stronger, and more confused.  
  
For several minutes, he just held her while she cried, her tears forming a wet patch on his school cloak. When Hermione pulled back, she saw that Draco's eyes were closed, and it seemed as though he was concentrating on something. However, all he was trying to do was get a hold of himself.  
  
"Draco?" Whispered Hermione. She shivered at the peaceful look on his face. "Draco, good night."  
  
Then, she went upstairs to her room without turning back. But if she had, she would have seen Draco watch her leave with pain and sadness in his eyes.  
  
  
  
"Hermione, wake up! Hermione!"  
  
Hermione turned onto her side, and mumbled, "Go away."  
  
"Hermione! You're late!"  
  
Hermione's eyes opened, and stared at Lavender. "Late? Oh no! I'm LATE!"  
  
"Actually, I was just kidding!" Lavender laughed, jumping back from Hermione's bed. She dodged a pillow, and tapped Hermione's shoulders. "Draco wanted me to wake you up. He said something about potions class, which trapped... Or was it Trapped potion? I can't remember, but - Hey! Hermione!"  
  
Hermione had not waited to hear the rest. She had thrown a sweater over her pajamas top, thrown the door open, and run down.  
  
She barely heard Lavender yell, "Arithmancy starts in an hour!" as she fled down, nearly stubbing her toe.  
  
"Is this how you look every morning?" Draco smirked, looking her up and down.  
  
"What?" Said Hermione. Then she caught sight of her reflection on the polished oak table.  
  
Her hair was flattened on her left side, and puffy on her right. Hermione went red, and glared at Draco, hoping to find something to say about Draco, but he was, as always, standing there calmly, his head held high, with every strand of hair in place. His clothes, a black shirt with a gray sweater over it with navy blue pants, was neat and creaseless, as usual. Hermione looked away.  
  
"What do you want?" She sighed, wishing she didn't have to talk to him. She decided to use as little words as possible, and speak only when spoken to.  
  
Draco, sensing he had touched a touchy subject, tried to speak in a nicer tone to her. "It's the - the potion. I found an old book, which used to belong to my father. It's very rare, but he gave it to me last year. He said it'd be useful, and I'd scoffed. But I guess I was wrong."  
  
"Where is it?" She asked, looking at him, her curiosity getting the better of her.  
  
"I wouldn't bring such a valuable thing down," he said shortly, hearing Lavender and Parvati, making their way down, squealing excitedly about a boy in his seventh year. "It's up in my room. Why don't you take a shower, then see me in fifteen minutes?"  
  
Hermione merely nodded, and traipsed up the stairs.  
  
After a shower, which took only ten minutes instead of her usual twenty, she put on her school uniform in case they took longer than expected, then made her way down the girls' staircase, then up the boys' staircase.  
  
Taking a deep breath as though to steady her nerves and heart, which was actually working overtime, she knocked on his door thrice.  
  
"Draco?" She called, trying to sound cool and calm, though it came out sounding more like a squeak.  
  
"The door's not locked," he called back.  
  
Hermione gripped the doorknob, and pushed it slowly. She found herself staring into a dim room. Apparently, Draco had drawn his curtains, and used the torches to light up his room instead. It took Hermione several minutes for her eyes to get accustomed to the dimness.  
  
"Can't you draw the curtains?" Asked Hermione, as she closed the door. She could see Draco's outline by his desk, bent over it, studying something intently.  
  
"No," he said, glancing at her. "I don't like being exposed to too much sunlight. Except of course, unless it's quidditch. It's too bright for my liking."  
  
"Wuss," laughed Hermione, walking over to his side. "What a wuss!"  
  
"I'm not a -," he started to retaliate, but when he saw her throw her head back and begin to laugh, as she had managed to lure him into her trap, he merely waved a hand at her, and said "Whatever, Hermione."  
  
"What do you want to show me?" Asked Hermione.  
  
"This," said Draco, not looking up. "This book here actually tells you the details of how it is made. And the ingredients."  
  
"Can I see that?" Said Hermione. Draco handed her the book.  
  
As Hermione slowly scanned the page, and absorbed the information, she felt Draco's eyes on her. She could feel his eyes looking at her face, then slowly move down to her feet, and then back to her face again. Hermione tried her best not to squirm under his firm gaze.  
  
Forgetting momentarily that his eyes were on her, she looked up, and stared into his eyes. Hermione tried to conceal her nervousness of making a fool out of herself, as she stared steadily back, wondering who would break the moment. She could feel the air in the room tingle, though she didn't know for what reason. But she had a guess what.  
  
"Getting lost in each others' eyes isn't going to help," said Draco, cutting the electricity between them.  
  
"Er - right," said Hermione, feeling incredibly stupid as soon as the words were out of her mouth. 'Great, Hermione. Just great! Now he's going to think you're such a doofus!'  
  
"We should concentrate on this now, and maybe later, we can... Continue?"  
  
Hermione's heart raced so fast, she thought it's pop right out of her chest and into his face. 'He had said 'maybe later'. Not 'we'll never'. There's still a chance!' she thought hopefully.  
  
"Do you want to show this to Harry and Ron later?" Asked Hermione, reminding herself to breathe normally.  
  
"What?" He said mildly. "And spoil our fun?"  
  
Hermione found it hard not to stare at him. 'First, he's telling me that we should get down to work, and now - he's FLIRTING with me!'  
  
"Our fun?" She repeated lamely. "I thought we were supposed to... Work together?"  
  
"Yeah," said Draco, looking into the fire. "Too bad." Then he snapped back, and became his usual self. "So when can we meet up with Potty and Weasel?"  
  
"What about lunch?" She suggested.  
  
"Do you think I'm going to miss my lunch? Or Ron, for that matter," he smirked, making Hermione's heart go faster.  
  
'Stop it!' She told herself. "Fine. After lunch, then. Is that okay with you, your majesty?"  
  
Draco's smirk widened. "Certainly, my loyal minion."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes as she shook her head, and turned to leave. As she reached for the doorknob, Draco caught her forearm, and turned her around. It happened so quickly, that Hermione only realized he'd kissed her when he'd pulled away from her, his eyes shining confusedly.  
  
"Tell no one," he breathed, as Hermione's gaze met his.  
  
She nodded, looking up at him, feeling dizzy.  
  
Then, she turned, left his room, got her books from her room, and then half-skipped all the way to the Arithmancy classroom. She glanced at her watch and began to countdown to lunch, still remembering the way his lips had brushed hers, and how he'd looked at her when he swore her to secrecy.  
  
'Ron's too late,' she thought, smiling to herself. 'Draco's put a spell over me, and no one - NO ONE - can save me.' Then, giggling to herself, she whispered aloud, "Go ahead and try." 


	27. Round and Round

To Ducki, Lightningfire, Shanna Banana and Potter fan, my newest reviewers! Sorry for being such a brat, and leaving it till so late!! I've got a three- day break (until Monday), so Chapter 28 shouldn't be too far behind. Really, really sorry, cos the plot was MUCH easier to work on earlier, but it's getting harder! Don't worry, though. I intend to finish this story and write a sequel to this, so hold on tight!  
  
Chapter 27  
  
"Hermione, are you sure Malfoy is coming?" Said Ron impatiently, looking across the wooden table at Hermione, who was gazing into space with a dazed look on her face.  
  
It was the one she had on all throughout lessons earlier on. Harry, who was seated next to Ron, studied her, but said nothing.  
  
"Er, what? Oh, er, yeah. He is. I mean... He will be." Hermione said vaguely.  
  
"Hermione, are you okay?" Asked Harry, looking at Hermione with concern.  
  
"I'm fine!" Said Hermione loftily, waving a hand at him. "What makes you think I'm not?"  
  
Ron snorted. "You've got your book upside down, and you're looking at the contents page!"  
  
Hermione glanced down, and saw that Ron was right. Shrugging lightly, she closed the book with a snap. As she was about to tell them about the book Draco had showed her, the portrait was opened, and Draco strode in purposefully.  
  
"About time!" Ron muttered, rolling his eyes at Harry.  
  
Hermione glared at him, but did not pass a comment, as she stood up. "Is the book with you?" She said, trying to look more serious.  
  
"It's upstairs," he said, daring to give her a glance and a small smile, which made her heart race, before he hurried upstairs.  
  
When he came down, he had his cloak over his shoulder, and had the leather bound book clutched tightly in his hands.  
  
He took the seat next to Hermione, and pretended not to see Ron's furious expression. "Here it is," he said smoothly, opening the book as he smirked across at Harry. As Ron reached out to touch it, he snarled, "Hands OFF, Weasel!"  
  
"Draco," said Hermione softly, not looking at Ron, as she put a hand on his arm under the table. She was afraid her face would betray her.  
  
Draco took a deep breath before pushing the book towards Harry and Ron. Harry flipped through the pages to the book-marked page, and began to read under his breath. While they were reading, Draco inched his left leg towards Hermione's right leg, and nudged it gently. Hermione tried not to look at him, but could not resist the temptation. She glanced sideways at him, and saw the smirk on his face. Hermione went red, and looked down at the table, as she crossed her right leg over her left.  
  
When Harry and Ron finished reading, Harry looked up at Draco and said, as politely as he could, "I thought there was the ingredients for the potion and how to brew it?"  
  
Draco gave Harry an icy stare as he said, "It's at the back, Potty. At the back." Without waiting for Harry to hand it to him, he reached over, and flipped to the last few pages.  
  
When Hermione saw the print, she gasped. She could tell it was an ancient font. The pages were faded with age, and looked brittle. Hermione leaned over and read through the page with Harry and Ron.  
  
"Wow," said Hermione, her eyes going wide. "Most of these ingredients are forbidden, or very rare! Listen, 'Essence of Firecrab', 'Manticore blood'... Wherever did the person find these?" Hermione looked up at her friends. "Unless - unless the person who made this potion - isn't a student! Or - or he... Or she could've been sent the ingredients!"  
  
Harry nodded. "I've written to Snuffles, and I should be expecting his reply today. I wrote to him about the potion, and who he thinks has done it."  
  
"Who's Snuffles?" Demanded Draco, looking at Harry with a glint of suspicion in his eyes.  
  
"An old friend," said Hermione promptly, glancing at Harry, then back at Draco.  
  
Before Draco could inquire more, Ron said, "What's the point of showing us the ingredients?"  
  
Draco stared coldly at Ron for a whole minute before he replied. "Well, Weasel, if you'd paid a little more attention, instead of staring at Hermione, perhaps you would've heard her say that the ingredients were mostly rare, or forbidden!"  
  
Hermione blushed when Draco mentioned her name. She didn't dare look at Draco or Ron, but she could feel Harry's intense stare on her.  
  
The awkward silence was broken when Harry looked at Ron's watch and exclaimed that they had only five minutes to potions. Frantically, the four students summoned their books, and raced down to the dungeons, with the Gryffindors praying fervently that Snape was in a good mood.  
  
  
  
"Lucky," sighed Ron. "Really, really lucky!"  
  
He was, of course, referring to the detention that they were spared from.  
  
Hermione shook her head. "No, Ron! He knew we were doing the research for the potion. Besides, he still looked like he was going to blow any minute!"  
  
Harry, Hermione, and Ron were headed towards the Great Hall for dinner, their arms free of books.  
  
Harry shrugged, as the two friends waited for his opinion. "Who cares? I'm hungry. I barely touched lunch."  
  
As the three of them sat down, Draco caught Hermione's eye, and mouthed, "Prefects tower, after dinner." Hermione nodded, as Ginny came over and sat next to Hermione, her eyes shining with excitement.  
  
"Uh-oh," muttered Ron, as his sister opened her mouth to speak.  
  
"Guess what I just overheard?" Said Ginny, as Hermione passed her the chicken stew.  
  
"Overheard?" Said Harry, smiling one-sidedly at her. "Not snooping?"  
  
Ginny gave him a sharp nudge with her right knee. "I overheard! Professor Trelawny told Professor Sinistra that Dumbledore was thinking of having three upcoming balls!"  
  
Hermione stared at her. "Trelawny?" She repeated with a deadpan expression.  
  
"Why'd you believe that?" Asked Ron, looking at his sister, as though she was crazy.  
  
"Please, shut up, Ron," said Harry, defending Ginny.  
  
Ginny smiled gratefully at Harry before she continued. "I heard there's going to be a Halloween, Yule and Valentine's Ball!"  
  
"Really?" Said Hermione, lacking enthusiasm, as her eyes flicked subconsciously in Draco's direction. Somehow, she doubted that he would even dream of inviting her.  
  
"I don't know, but there really is, however, won't we be needing a lot of dresses?" Said Ginny, bubbling on.  
  
Hermione looked down at the peas on her plate. "I guess," she said, softly, wishing she could leave the table, but she forced herself to stay for Ginny's sake.  
  
"I wonder if Colin will ask me to go with him," said Ginny slyly, glancing at Harry, her heart racing.  
  
Harry picked a small strawberry off a bowl nearby, and pushed it into Ginny's mouth. "Yeah," he said, grinning. "I wonder too."  
  
Ron rolled his eyes at his sister, who was smiling at Harry, and then looked at Hermione, who was quietly helping herself to some gravy. He wondered if she was all right. However, he said nothing.  
  
Finally, when Harry had finished the last of his chocolate angel cake, the three excused themselves, and went off to the prefects' tower. Before they left, Hermione saw Draco get up, and catch up with them, though he walked a few paces behind them.  
  
Hermione wished that she could make Draco feel comfortable around Harry and Ron, though he seemed not to care that he was being ignored. Though he was probably used to being ignored or insulted by her friends, Hermione felt that she had to do something, though no ideas came to mind.  
  
She tried to pay attention to what Harry was telling Ron about the quidditch training season, as they turned into a deserted corridor, getting further from the Great Hall.  
  
"Yes, tryouts are next Wednesday. We need two chasers, beaters, and a keeper. Then we'll take a vote on the new quidditch captain," said Harry.  
  
"I'll vote for you," said Hermione and Ron loyally.  
  
Hermione glanced back in time to catch the smirk on Draco's face.  
  
"Hey, Herm," said Ron, looking at Hermione with amusement in his eyes. "Why don't you try out for chaser?"  
  
"Me?" Hermione managed to squeak, as Harry suppressed his laughter. "I can barely even hang on to a broom, and you're asking me to try out for chaser? No thanks," she shuddered. "Maybe you can try out for keeper," she smiled sweetly, wiping the smile of Ron's face.  
  
Draco couldn't stop him himself. "Weasel would make a better spectator than keeper, Hermione. Why bother asking him to try out?"  
  
Everyone stopped as Ron turned to face Draco, his face matching the colour of his hair. Hermione hoped he wouldn't punch Draco right in the face. However, Hermione needn't have worried, as Harry was already holding on to his school cloak.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Said Ron, in a low growl. "I bet you five galleons I'll make it as keeper, Malfoy."  
  
"Five?" Repeated Draco, looking bored. "Thanks, but I can get that money anywhere. What about twenty galleons?"  
  
"RON!" Cried Hermione, reaching out for his clenched left hand with both her hands. "Don't! Please don't do such a stupid thing!"  
  
"Hermione, I-," Ron tried to argue.  
  
"Go on, Weasel," interrupted Draco, smirking broadly. "Listen to your girlfriend."  
  
"Malfoy, you -!"  
  
"Shut UP, Draco," yelled Hermione, releasing Ron's hand.  
  
"Forget working with Malfoy, Hermione," said Ron, glaring at Draco. "I'm never coming near this slime again!"  
  
With that, Ron shook himself free from Harry's grip, and strode off briskly in the direction of the Gryffindor common room.  
  
Harry threw a last glance at Hermione, then Draco, before running after Ron.  
  
When they'd turned a corner and disappeared, Hermione turned to Draco, and said furiously, "Why did you do that?! Ron was SO mad!"  
  
Draco's smirked turned into a soft smile. "I never asked them along," he said smoothly, making Hermione want to melt into a puddle, and evaporate.  
  
"I - I thought you wanted to work on the research," stammered Hermione.  
  
"I didn't" said Draco, glancing at his watch. "Better move it quick. Dinner ends in five minutes."  
  
Hermione walked behind Draco, as he led the way to the prefect tower, unsure of herself. What was Draco up to now? Was this another one of those times that he was going to break her fragile heart? Hermione wished he wasn't so brief with her. She wanted him to come straight out with the truth.  
  
Draco, on the other hand, was playing it cool, while he was wondering what he'd just gotten himself into. His mind half on the potion, the other half was thinking about Hermione. Was he serious, or was he merely leading her on? Draco turned his head a fraction of an inch, and took a quick look at Hermione. Her cheeks were a healthy pink, and her eyes were clouded over with confusion. Draco turned back, and tried not to stop and take her fragile frame into his arms.  
  
He wanted her close, but whenever she was in his arms, Draco felt his conscience prick him, and he could hear his father's voice in his mind. Then, he'd have to push her away, and hurt her, though he didn't really want to.  
  
But Draco couldn't tell her. It wasn't easy, putting his feeling into words. The Malfoys did not express themselves in words. No one said 'I love you' to him, or kissed him, or tucked him in bed. He couldn't write to her either. He knew that he just had to show her.  
  
The million-galleon question was - How?  
  
Draco had to think fast before he lost her to Ron, though he didn't know that Hermione wasn't going to turn around and fall for Ron. At least - not yet... 


	28. A Dose of Trouble

To... A fan I got an account, Diamond rose, JeanB, and Sweet Sorrow (I'll try to cut down on the emotions, and move the action up a couple of notches. To tell you the truth, the action was supposed to come in like three chapters later... But just for you... LOL. And thanks for your honest opinion!)  
  
... Did I miss anyone out? Sorry! Oh, does anyone know the link to this story? Could you please e-mail it to me? I honestly don't know it myself, and the search engine on this site isn't working. Thanks!  
  
Chapter 28  
  
"What do you want?" Said Hermione, sounding harsher than she intended to.  
  
Draco looked at her, and smirked. "I'd be lying if I said I wanted to work out the mystery of the potion."  
  
Hermione sank down into a couch, and hugged a cushion to her chest. "Get straight to the point," she said wearily.  
  
"I'm bored," yawned Draco.  
  
Hermione, despite her tiredness, felt a little stab of annoyance. "I'm tired, Draco. I'm going to bed." She stood, and strode towards the stairs, without even glancing back.  
  
Draco wanted to stop her, but remembered how she had passed out not too long ago, and decided it better to let Hermione get her rest. As Draco ascended the stairs, he realized that he had actually followed his heart in letting Hermione go to bed, instead of keeping her up for his own selfish wants, and talking to her till the next day.  
  
He shook his head as he opened his door. 'Maybe tomorrow,' he thought, 'I'll make the first move.'  
  
After washing up and changing, Draco fell back onto his bed, and fell asleep before his head even touched his pillow.  
  
  
  
"Don't touch her!" Draco yelled. "Leave her alone!"  
  
Draco darted towards the motionless figure that was Hermione, on the cold stone floor of the dark and dank cave. He could from the temperature that the cave was underground.  
  
"Stand back, Draco!"  
  
"Father?"  
  
"Ah... Draco," Lucius smiled. The dim glow of the fire made his smile look more evil and cunning. "Funny that I'm seeing you, of all people, here - and trying to save the mudblood, too aren't you?"  
  
Draco tried not to grimace. "Don't call her that, father. She has a name," he said softly, his eyes fixed on Hermione. 'Please, Hermione!' he thought, 'Please don't be dead!'  
  
Lucius fixed his sturdy gaze on his son. "I see what I have taught you all these years has gone in one ear and out the other," he said, turning to face Draco.  
  
Draco met his father's cold stare unflinchingly. "You have taught me nothing that is worth remembering, father," he said stiffly.  
  
"Really?" Lucius' smile widened. "The first thing I taught you was never to fall in love, Draco. Never. I thought you were obeying me, but I see - I see your mother has been telling you to do otherwise."  
  
"No!" Put in Draco too quickly. "No, she didn't!"  
  
Lucius narrowed his eyes. "Maybe killing her wouldn't be a bad idea after all, would it?"  
  
With a sudden, swift movement, Lucius raised his wand, and pointed it at Hermione. "Crucio!"  
  
"Father," he moaned weakly. "Father, please! Not - not her. Take me."  
  
Lucius lowered his wand and looked at Draco. "No," he said. "No. It's time I teach you a little lesson, so you'll know what happens the next time you disobey me."  
  
Draco felt a surge of foreboding, as his father raised his wand.  
  
As Draco was about to whip out his wand, another voice had shouted, "Expelliarmus!"  
  
Draco, turned to see who had shouted, but suddenly, he felt himself being pulled into a whirlpool of black, varying shades of gray, brief flashes of blinding whiteness and warmth.  
  
  
  
"NO!"  
  
Draco sat up in bed, cold sweat running down his face.  
  
He looked towards his window, but it was still dark. Squinting in the darkness, Draco saw that it was only half-past midnight.  
  
Trying to suppress his fear, he slowly lowered himself back onto his pillows, and shut his eyes.  
  
Just then, he heard a loud scream pierce the still night air. Draco's eyes flew open, as he bolted up once more. He knew that scream anywhere. With a sick feeling in his gut, he got dressed, and made his way out of his room to Hermione's, fervently hoping she was okay.  
  
As he was making his way up, he realized that several girls were in front of him, Cho among them.  
  
"What happened?" Draco heard Parvati say over the confused murmur.  
  
"Clear the way," said Cho loudly, as she was about to open the door to Hermione's room.  
  
Before she put her hand on the knob, however, Hermione had thrown it open, trembling from head to toe.  
  
She held on to the doorway for support, as she looked at Cho, her eyes wide with fear.  
  
"Hermione? Hermione, what's wrong?" Cho cried out, her voice rising in panic, as she let Hermione lean on her for support.  
  
Fortunately, Draco was tall, and could see over the heads of the other students.  
  
"A Death Eater," Hermione whimpered, hiding her face in Cho's soft, pink bathrobe. "He threw - He threw s-s-something at me. It's all sticky. L- Look," she whispered, holding out her right forearm.  
  
Draco craned his neck, and caught a glance of Hermione's arm, and had to stifle the cry of surprise and fear that was at the back of his throat. There was no mistaking the Trapping Potion, which was splashed generously onto Hermione's arm, pajamas, and hair. Draco quickly pushed through the crowd, and put his arm around Hermione's trembling shoulders, careful not to get the potion on his skin.  
  
Before he disappeared down the stairs, he turned and half-yelled at Cho, "Don't touch it! It's the you-know-what Dumbledore told you about!"  
  
As Draco supported Hermione, he awkwardly pushed the portrait open. "Could you tell who it was? Can you tell me anything you remembered about the - the Death Eater? Any prominent features?"  
  
Hermione nodded weakly, as she tried to walk on her own. "He - he was tall," Hermione mumbled, as she managed to take a few steps on her own. She wrinkled her brow as she tried to remember what she could. After all, her room had been lit by just a small candle in the corner of her room, and the pale moonlight, which cast eerie shadows on the furniture. "I think he had long - very long silver hair."  
  
Draco's stomach lurched violently. "Long silver hair?"  
  
"Yes," said Hermione firmly, taking a few more steps, which were steadier. "I remember the way it still shone when he removed his hood in the shadows. He was so - so pale. Like he'd never stepped out in daylight before. Draco," Hermione whimpered. "Draco, please don't tell me that that was... Your father. Please don't. He threw a whole bottle of the potion on me when I was about to scream. Oh, what'll I do?" Hermione broke down, and Draco held on to her.  
  
"I don't know, Hermione," said Draco, squeezing her shoulder. "I really don't know."  
  
"It's all my fault!" Hermione said, tears streaming down her face. "I shouldn't have... I don't know, but maybe I shouldn't have worked... Too closely with you, lame as it may sound."  
  
"Hermione, that's not true," said Draco, forcing himself to think. "My father would've come after me - not you."  
  
"Then why -?"  
  
Draco glanced at Hermione, before fixing his gaze on the gargoyle at the foot of Dumbledore's office. "I don't know, Hermione. I'm sorry," he said, starting to tremble himself. "I hope Dumbledore can tell us. And - and I hope he has the Releasing potion. Or else -."  
  
However, Draco didn't get to complete his sentence, as the staircase began to move downwards. Hermione sighed softly as they watched Dumbledore step off the staircase.  
  
"Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy. What happened?"  
  
Trying to be as brief as possible, Draco related what Hermione had told him, as Dumbledore escorted them up to his office.  
  
Draco found the description of the Death Eater hard to repeat, and stumbled over his words.  
  
"Hermione said that the Dead - I mean, Death Eater... He had long s - silver hair, and fair skin, and she - she thinks it was my - my father," Draco shivered, not looking at Dumbledore or Hermione.  
  
The headmaster said nothing as he sat at his desk. "I suppose the first thing we have to do is get you cleaned up, Miss Granger. Mr. Malfoy - Did you get any of the potion on yourself?"  
  
Draco glanced down at himself, and shook his head. "No, Professor."  
  
"Good -," started Dumbledore, but Hermione interrupted him.  
  
"Draco - Draco, I'm afraid there's some on your right arm," Hermione said, staring, transfixed, at his arm. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have touched you."  
  
Draco looked Hermione in the eye, and said bravely, "It's okay. I deserved it, anyway. My father - if he was the one - deserves to have me controlled by the potion. Let him see what he's done... If he even realizes it."  
  
"Why do you want to suffer just to spite your father?" Whispered Hermione. "Why must you hurt yourself?"  
  
"He deserves it," Draco stated simply, gazing into space, as a hard look crossed his face. 'He deserves to feel pain, if he even knows how to feel anymore."  
  
Dumbledore, who had been listening to the conversation, said, "There is no need to worry. Professor Snape has already brewed bottles of the Releasing Potion. After you two clean up," he waved his wand twice, and both were spotless, "which you already are, I'll get him to bring some up. Do not worry. This potion can take up to three days to work, so let's hope that it isn't too strong."  
  
Then, he stood, walked to the fireplace, and grabbed a handful of some glittery powder into the blazing fire, and called "Severus!" into the blue- green flames.  
  
As he was waiting for Snape to answer his call, Hermione and Draco sat still without looking at each other, when Hermione said suddenly, "Thanks."  
  
Draco glanced at her in surprise. "Whatever for?"  
  
"For helping me," answered Hermione.  
  
Draco said nothing, and there was an awkward pause. Then, he said, "Before I heard you scream, I was up already."  
  
Hermione looked at him questioningly.  
  
"Nightmare," said Draco, before Hermione could ask. "A very, very horrible nightmare."  
  
"What happened?" Said Hermione, wrapping her arms around her.  
  
Draco, seeing this, took off his robe, and threw it around Hermione before she could protest.  
  
"Wait until Snape and the headmaster give us a dose of the Releasing Potion. Maybe they can tell us what it means," said Draco, as Snape stepped out of the fireplace, brushed invisible soot off his black hooded cloak, with a bottle of what they assumed to be the Releasing Potion clasped tightly in his hands.  
  
Snape said nothing as he put the bottle on the table, opened it, and produced two spoons from nowhere. Still silent, he spooned out a large dollop with each spoon, and handed one to the Prefects.  
  
Hermione and Draco took the spoon, held it under their noses and took a deep sniff. Hermione tried not to gag as she looked at Draco, who had the same revolted look on his face.  
  
"We'll take it together, okay? On the count of three - One," prompted Hermione.  
  
"Two."  
  
"Three!"  
  
Hermione shut her eyes, and tried not to cringe as she put the potion into her mouth. As soon as the spoon was in, Hermione pulled it out, and clapped her hand over her mouth, to keep herself from spitting it out.  
  
The potion was ice-cold, then fiery-hot then cold again. The taste did not make up for the horrible taste, either. It made Hermione think of rotten eggs, and decayed meat.  
  
When both of them had managed to swallow the foul concoction, Snape took the spoons from them and made them disappear into nothingness. Dumbledore smiled down on them.  
  
"It wasn't pleasant, I trust?"  
  
Hermione said nothing, but her expression said all.  
  
Then, Draco cleared his throat. "I had a nightmare, and it woke me before Hermione screamed. I don't know if it's telling me the future, like a premonition."  
  
Dumbledore sat in his chair, indicating Draco to start his story, as Snape sat in a chair in the corner of the semi-circular office.  
  
Trying not to leave out any details, Draco told his small, but attentive audience everything he'd seen. When he'd finished, he looked at Dumbledore, and said in a steady tone, "I'm afraid this might be a warning, sir. I used to have such nightmares when I was younger, and they happened, more often than not."  
  
The headmaster said nothing, as he put his fingers together, and rested his chin on them. He was quiet for a while.  
  
While waiting for the professor to reply, Draco looked at Hermione and saw that her cheeks were red. 'Was she embarrassed by me saying that my father told me never to fall in love?' He wondered. 'Did she think that perhaps we were together in my nightmare?'  
  
While he was still mulling over this, Dumbledore said, "I honestly don't know, Mr. Malfoy. But we can only guess. But what puzzles me is - Why did your father mention him teaching you not to fall in love, and then something about going in one ear, and out the other."  
  
Draco could sense Hermione's embarrassment radiate warmth that he could actually feel.  
  
Perhaps Professor Dumbledore had realized this too, for he abruptly changed the subject. "Well, it's late, and I shall fathom over this tomorrow. Meanwhile, Severus, Minerva and I will find out what we can. So," he said, rising, as Hermione and Draco took the cue, and stood too, though Hermione showed, too obviously, that she wanted to leave, as she rose so quickly, that the wooden chair scraped the floor as she did so. "Why don't you two pop back to bed?"  
  
Hermione and Draco nodded stiffly, and turned to leave. However, as they were about to step onto the stairs, Hermione stopped, and turned around to face the headmaster.  
  
"Sir, -," she started.  
  
"Ah, yes," said Dumbledore nodding. "Where you'll sleep?" He stood staring at Hermione, and Draco, who was carefully watching his expression. He considered his answer for several seconds, as a slow, somewhat amused smiled crossed his face. "Why don't you kip in Mr. Malfoy's room, Miss Granger? At least, until we have ensured your room is clean."  
  
Hermione opened her mouth to argue, as Snape jumped up, as though he was going to rush at Dumbledore, and knock him senseless.  
  
"But, the rules, professor!" Hermione protested feebly, as though they were more important than her safety.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore's right, Hermione," said Draco, much to Hermione's surprise. Hermione stared at him with wide eyes, as if to say, 'what? Are you nuts?' "If my father comes back - if - I doubt he'd want to harm me."  
  
As Hermione tried once more to argue, Draco continued, as though not realizing she was trying to say something, "Trust me. I know my father."  
  
Hermione turned to Snape, and pleaded him with her eyes to help her. He tried to argue, too, but Dumbledore held up a hand, so that Snape couldn't say anything.  
  
"It's for the best, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore firmly.  
  
Hermione, thoroughly annoyed, said "Goodnight" with certain stiffness. Despite this, Dumbledore merely smiled knowingly, as they left his office, glaring at each other.  
  
When they were at the foot of the stairs, Hermione said to Draco, "You'd better not think that I'm going to let you hug me or try whatever stupid tricks you have up your sleeve."  
  
Draco smirked, and said in a would-be innocent voice. "What tricks?"  
  
Hermione blew her fringe in frustration and rolled her eyes. "Don't play stupid with me, Draco. I'm telling you, I'm better at it."  
  
Draco had to laugh. "Yeah, sure. Whatever. But just to give you a friendly tip - I've only got one blanket. The spare one's being washed."  
  
Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "Tell me again why I bother talking to you."  
  
"I guess we Malfoy's are naturally irresistible," said Draco, the smirk still on his face.  
  
Hermione sighed loudly, as though it was the most absurd thing she'd ever heard, though she knew he was right, in a way.  
  
For the rest of the way, the pair was quiet. When they were in Draco's room, Hermione looked around at his room, and said, "I guess we could fit a small cot here..."  
  
Draco frowned mockingly at her. "What? And wake the house-elves?" he said. "What happened to your spew?"  
  
"S-P-E-W!" Said Hermione, her eyebrows knitted, remembering the way Ron had called it spew, whenever he was teasing or annoying her.  
  
"Yeah, whatever," said Draco, stifling a yawn. "Why don't you stop being so stubborn, and just sleep on my bed?"  
  
Hermione stared at him, a mischievous smile creeping onto her face. "If you want me to sleep next to you, why don't you just tell me?"  
  
Draco glared at her, but said nothing. Finally, he stated, " Wherever you sleep, Hermione, it's none of my business. It's your discomfort, anyway. Not mine."  
  
Hermione tried to imitate his smirk as she said, "We'll see."  
  
Draco shrugged as he plopped himself onto his bed. "Suit yourself, okay?" He yawned. "I'm dead tired." Then, he settled himself down into a comfortable position, his back to her, and closed his eyes. "Good night," he said, yawning again.  
  
Hermione stood there for some time, staring blankly at him, while the night's events replayed in her head. Nearly ten minutes later, when she heard Draco's snores, and she had ascertained that he was fast asleep, she felt cheeky, out of the blue. Grinning, she prepared to spring onto his bed, and startle him out of his brains.  
  
"One... Two... Three!" She mumbled under her breath, as she made a leap, and landed on Draco's bed, which bounced up and down violently, the movement slowly subsiding.  
  
Draco was instantly awoken, and sat up as he shouted, "WHAT THE -?" He turned and glared at Hermione. "Can't a boy get some decent sleep without a mad-ass of a female pouncing on his bed? What the hell do you want?"  
  
Hermione, who was kneeling with her palms flat on the silky covers for balance, smiled her sweetest smile at him. "Just wanted to ask... Where DO I sleep?"  
  
Draco grunted in a disgruntled way, then shifted over. Smiling triumphantly, Hermione lay down, and smiled up at the top of his four- poster bed, before drifting off into a deep, dreamless sleep.  
  
  
  
It was seven fifteen in the morning, and almost everyone was still asleep. Ginny, who had risen early, sat on the couch in the Gryffindor common room, staring into the leaping orange flames, thinking about all the things she could be doing outdoors on Saturday morning if it wasn't raining.  
  
She had planned to wake up at seven, and go for a walk by the lake, while watching the sunrise. Then at eight, she wanted to go to the Great Hall, grab some breakfast with her best friends, then hang out with them in Hogsmeade all the way till afternoon. But now, the rain, which was coming down in heavy torrents, had foiled her almost-perfect plans.  
  
"Maybe," she said aloud to herself, pulling at the bottom of her pink turtleneck shirt, "if Harry would like to do something, it wouldn't be all that bad... But -."  
  
"Ginny?"  
  
Ginny jumped to her feet, and turned to see Harry come down the stairs, already in his striped collared shirt and long pants.  
  
"Harry?" She said looking at Harry, wondering what his reaction would be if she ran to him, and gave him a big hug.  
  
"Hey," he said, smiling, as he ran his fingers through his unruly hair. "Good morning - though it's raining, and not what I'd call good."  
  
Ginny smiled sadly at him. "Yeah. There go all my wonderful plans."  
  
Harry feigned annoyance and pretended to be offended. "What? Plans without me?" Harry's smile widened slightly. "Pretty romantic weather, though."  
  
The red headed girl turned nearly the same shade of her hair, as she looked at the floor in between them. Harry continued walking towards her, and pulled her into a hug.  
  
"I don't know about you, but I'd love for just the both of us to go down to the Three Broomsticks, and sit there till the rain stops. I can already taste that butterbeer in my mouth."  
  
Ginny tightened her hands around Harry. "I can't wait to," she whispered, as Harry kissed the crown of her head.  
  
"Great," he whispered back. "Then let's go before the others are up."  
  
Ginny looked up at Harry in surprise. "You're not telling anyone else?"  
  
"Yeah, why?" He smiled. "Afraid I'll take you away to an uncharted territory and keep you there?"  
  
Ginny laughed, as she shyly planted a small kiss on his cheek.  
  
"Nope," Harry continued. "If we tell anyone else, it wouldn't be just the two of us anymore."  
  
Ginny smiled, as she took Harry's hand and held it tightly. "Okay. Let's go."  
  
Then, the couple made their way to Hogsmeade, saying nothing to each other until they'd reached the Three Broomsticks. It wasn't that they had nothing to say, but the relationship they shared sometimes didn't need words. The feeling between them was mutual. 


	29. Suspicions, suspicions

This is especially for Offspring-the-kids-ain't-a (I used to listen to this particular station over the net, and I found out about the Flying Dutchman...!), Crystalline Lily, Tom Felton's babe (Hey!) Kid Vicious and the mysterious, Anonymous person.  
  
Larz! Relax! This isn't the last chapter! Really! I don't think this story is ending anytime soon, so all those of you who were wondering, I expect this story to have more than 50 (a-hem!) LONG chapters! Lol... Thanks, again, for reading, and for all your wonderful reviews! By the way, I'm seriously considering changing the title to 'All Or Nothing'... What do you think?  
  
Chapter 29  
  
Draco's eyelids fluttered as he felt the warm, fuzzy teddy bear he was holding stirred. Draco tightened his grip on the bear, nuzzling its head gently. Suddenly, Draco's eyes opened, and he had to keep himself from shouting out. 'Bear?' he thought, bewildered. 'I don't have a bear!'  
  
Draco turned his head, and saw that it was only Hermione, who was still fast asleep with a small smile playing on her lips. Draco didn't remove his arms from around her, though his mind was positively yelling at him to do so. He kept his right arm around her while he used his left arm to prop him up, as he surveyed her.  
  
Her hair was spread out in a small fan around her shoulders, and her eyes were opened to a mere fraction of an inch. Draco lay back down, and as he savoured the warmth she emitted, he wondered how he managed to wrap his arm around her, without realizing so.  
  
Just then, Draco stiffened as Hermione shifted slightly, mumbling about something. Then, much to Draco's horror and surprise, Hermione put her arm over Draco's, and nuzzled her head backwards into his neck. Then, she didn't move, and Draco assumed she'd fallen back into a deep sleep.  
  
Draco realized, with a rather unwilling smile, that he and Hermione fitted each other like two adjoining pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. 'We'd fit so well together, if only nothing was in between us,' thought Draco, as a small feeling of sadness settled in his heart.  
  
Then, without realizing it, he fell asleep, his cheek leaning onto Hermione's head.  
  
Hermione stirred, basking in the comfortable warmth that enveloped her making her feel a sense of security, like the warmth a patchwork blanket that a grandma made lovingly for her grandchild. How wonderful it was, to lie there, and have not a care in the world.  
  
'Whose arms are these?' Hermione wondered sleepily, her thoughts vague.  
  
Then, she jumped out of bed with a soft scream, and looked frantically at her surroundings.  
  
'This isn't my room!' She thought, a thrill of horror sending cold shivers up and down her back. 'In fact, this is - Draco's room! W-what am I doing here?' She wondered, her attention focused on the bed, where Draco was sitting up, with an expression that reminded Hermione of how her grandmother had looked when her grandfather had passed away - like she'd lost everything; maybe more.  
  
Hermione hugged herself, ignoring the cold floor, as Draco brushed his hair out of his eyes and blinked confusedly at her.  
  
"What the hell did you do?" He murmured, squinting in the dimness to look at the clock.  
  
"What am I doing here?" Said Hermione. Then, immediately, she remembered. "No, wait! Don't tell me! I know exactly what happened."  
  
Draco looked almost alarmed as the alert and guarded look taking over the sleepy and blank look, which made him look like a docile kitten. "Hey," he said, eyeing her wearily. "I didn't do anything like that, okay?"  
  
Hermione wanted to laugh, but her heart was thudding, thinking that how - well, lucky - it was that she'd spent the entire night in Draco's arms - just the two of them. But what struck her was why - WHY? - Did Draco hug her? Or was he just having a dream? What? It made Hermione's head ache just thinking about it.  
  
Hermione wanted to know why. But how could she ask him without sounding like she was trying to find out? 'Impossible,' she thought. 'I might as well get straight to the point.'  
  
"Why were you hugging me?" Said Hermione, wincing at how bold she sounded.  
  
Draco did not meet her stare as he answered. "I don't know."  
  
Taking a step towards his bed, she said, "What kind of an answer is that?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Well, there must be a - a reason... You're not telling me something."  
  
"You shouldn't be so nosy."  
  
"Excuse me!" Said Hermione, sitting Japanese-style at the foot of his bed. "You just hugged me - probably half the whole night, and I'm not entitled to find out why?"  
  
Draco's heart began to speed up. 'To tell or not to tell?' he wondered, looking at the girl, who unknowingly made him feel like he could do anything.  
  
"Well?" She demanded.  
  
Draco chickened out just as he was about to open his mouth. 'No,' he'd decided. 'I must get the right time. Now is not the time to tell her.'  
  
Hermione sat staring at Draco, while she waited expectantly.  
  
"Hermione - Hermione, I've got to go," he said, swinging his feet over the edge of the bed, as he slid them into his slippers.  
  
"But -," Hermione started to protest.  
  
"Sorry," he said firmly, not even sending half a glance in her direction. Then, he grabbed his towel of the back of his chair and left the room leaving Hermione staring helplessly at the door.  
  
"It's hard isn't it, being the only girl in the house? Don't you get pushed around a lot by your brothers?" Asked Harry, turning to look Ginny, who was walking next to him.  
  
Ginny shrugged, as she kicked a small stone out of her way. "It's okay, really. Bill and Charlie used to pull the worst pranks on me when they were much younger. But they're more protective now. It's only Fred and George I've got to look out for."  
  
"What about Ron? Doesn't he annoy you too?"  
  
"Ron?" Repeated Ginny, laughing a little. "Nah, Ron pretends to be nasty, but I know for a fact that he really cares."  
  
Harry smiled remembering their second year, when Ron found out that Ginny had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets.  
  
"Harry! Ginny!"  
  
Harry and Ginny turned, and saw Cho jog up to them. "Hey, Cho!" said Harry enthusiastically, as Ginny's contented face fell.  
  
"Hey, Cho," echoed Ginny, staring down at her low boots.  
  
"What are you two doing here?" Said Cho, sweeping her well brushed hair over her shoulders.  
  
Ginny felt a small stab of insecurity as she observed the way Cho's pink laced tank top fitted her slender frame perfectly, and her chocolate brown pants that fitted loosely to her legs which seemed to go on forever. It was no wonder that half the boys up at school were trying to win her heart. Ginny wondered if Harry still had the hots for her. Ginny blanched at the thought as she tried to push it off her mind.  
  
"I'm just taking Ginny out. We're headed to The Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer. You look like you could do with one yourself," joked Harry, seeing her pink cheeks.  
  
"Could do, but maybe later," said Cho. "Besides, I've got to get some new clothes - not that I don't have enough. Anyway, see you later! Bye, Harry! Bye, Ginny!"  
  
"Bye," said Harry, as Cho waved goodbye.  
  
The couple was quiet as they sat at a small table for two at The Three Broomsticks, which was still empty.  
  
"I'll order," offered Harry, observing the girl's sudden quiet manner.  
  
Ginny nodded, as she played with the tablecloth. Hundreds of questions ran through her head, as she thought of their recent encounter with Cho. Ginny wanted to know where exactly their relationship was. But Ginny didn't want to be the one who brought up the subject. After all, her mother had told her time and time again, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." Ginny knew that she had to trust what Harry told her or she wouldn't move on.  
  
"Here you are," said Harry cheerfully, as he put a glass in front of her.  
  
"Thanks," said Ginny, managing a small smile.  
  
Harry sat down, and leant back into his chair. "Romantic this is, isn't it?" He smiled, trying to make her smile.  
  
Ginny laughed. "Sure thing," she said, sipping her butterbeer. "Thanks, by the way."  
  
"For?" Asked Harry.  
  
"As if you don't know! For taking me here, silly!"  
  
Harry grinned at Ginny. "Anything for my beloved."  
  
"So it's 'beloved' now, is it?"  
  
"Yeah. At least, until I find something more original."  
  
Ginny felt the tension start to ebb away as she looked across the table at Harry. She didn't think she'd loved anyone - or anything - more than him.  
  
"Where are we going to after this?" She asked.  
  
"To the end of the world," answered Harry, without thinking.  
  
"What?" Exclaimed Ginny, ruffled.  
  
"Sorry," said Harry, starting to laugh. "It's just an old joke between me and Ron."  
  
"Oh... Okay. So... Where are we going?"  
  
"I don't know. Anywhere in particular you want to be at?"  
  
"Yeah," muttered Ginny, stifling a yawn. "Back in my bed."  
  
"Really?" Said Harry, mildly amused.  
  
Ginny couldn't stifle the next yawn. "Sorry, I can't help it. I stayed up late last night. Shouldn't have."  
  
Harry smiled at her with an adoring look in his eyes. "Want to head back?"  
  
Ginny's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" Her voice came out in a high-pitched squeak.  
  
"Yeah." Harry yawned too. "See? It's really contagious. So, do you want to go back?"  
  
"I guess." Ginny put her head down on her arms on the table.  
  
Harry decided to play a little trick on her.  
  
"Oh no! Ginny! Don't move! There's - there's something on your hair!"  
  
Ginny screamed, shot up from her chair, and ran her hands wildly through her hair.  
  
"What's that? Where's it? Get it off! Get it off!" She yelped.  
  
"It's awful! What the hell is that?"  
  
"Harry!" Yelled Ginny. She aroused Madam Rosmerta's attention instantly. "Just get the damn thing off my hair!  
  
When she saw Harry laughing, she crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"Harry Potter, that is so NOT funny!"  
  
Then, Ginny ran after Harry out into the cold morning, their butterbeers forgotten. Harry didn't think they'd be going back into the castle after all.  
  
"Hermione, you can't do this," moaned Ron, trying to cover his face with his pillow.  
  
Hermione's hands, which had a firm grip on Ron's blanket, paused in mid- air. She raised an eyebrow. "I can't?"  
  
Ron, thinking she had given up trying to tug away his blanket, relaxed his grip. However, Hermione gave a hard yank, without warning, and muttered, "Don't underestimate me, Weasley."  
  
Ron gave up fighting, and sat up in bed. When he saw the peeved look on her face, he knew that something was not right.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked.  
  
"What do you mean 'What's wrong'? What, did I just sprout an extra head?"  
  
Ron rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No," he snapped. "You look like one of your best friends just died... No, wait. I am one of your best friends. Okay, spill."  
  
"There is nothing to spill, Ron Weasley. Now get your ass out of bed, and let's get down to work."  
  
"Don't change the subject, Herm. And I know that something's up, cause you're using last names."  
  
"We have to just start, while waiting for Harry to come back from... From wherever he is. I can find neither him nor Ginny."  
  
"Harry and my sister are out of bed at this hour?" Ron goggled at Hermione.  
  
Hermione stared pointedly at Ron. "You are the only person who thinks that this is an ungodly hour to wake up."  
  
"Actually," came a voice from a corner of the dormitory, "it's not only Ron who thinks that way. I, for one, do too."  
  
"Yeah," echoed Neville and Dean sleepily.  
  
"Shut up, Seamus," snapped Hermione. She turned back to Ron who was struggling to untangle a shirt from a pile of clothes at the foot of his bed. "Hurry up, you," she snarled.  
  
"Yeah, Herm, sure. If you'd kindly excuse me."  
  
Hermione went pink as she stepped back from Ron's bed. "Shut up," she called into the dim room, putting a brief stop to the boys' sniggers. However, when she closed the door behind her, they didn't hold back.  
  
"Idiot, idiot, idiot," mumbled Draco, pushing his hands deeper into his pockets. "How could you be so careless?"  
  
Draco had showered quickly, then left for Hogsmeade for a brisk walk or maybe run, to clear his mind. Strenuous physical activity helped him to unwind. He barely looked where he was going as he walked down the familiar path. He needed all the peace and quiet he could salvage, before he could think of his next step.  
  
"ARGH! NOOOO! GO AWAY!"  
  
Draco's head perked up, as his keen eyes scanned his calm and serene surroundings. His pace quickened.  
  
"PLEASE SPARE ME! I WON'T DO IT AGAIN! I PROMISE!"  
  
Draco ran towards a small clearing where the girl's screams had come from. Suddenly he stopped short and stared.  
  
From a distance, he could see a vaguely familiar dark-haired boy playfully tackle a red headed girl, as they rolled into a pile of the first autumn leaves.  
  
Draco rolled his eyes as he turned away. 'Gag me,' he thought. 'Just spare me the mush.' Then, without turning back, he walked straight towards the village, as thoughts of Hermione filled his mind once more.  
  
"HARRY!"  
  
"Say you're sorry!"  
  
"HARRY!"  
  
"Say you're sorry first."  
  
"You started it, idiot!" Giggled Ginny, trying valiantly to squirm away from Harry who was tickling her like there was no tomorrow.  
  
Harry refused to let her go.  
  
"Okay, okay!" Sputtered Ginny. She gasped for breath.  
  
Harry paused. "I'm waiting."  
  
"Sorry. Okay? Sorry."  
  
Harry let go of Ginny and turned her around to face him, his hands resting gently on her shoulders.  
  
"Are you mad?" He said softly, looking down at her.  
  
Ginny did not meet his gaze. "No," she whispered. "Why should I be?"  
  
Harry hesitated. "You look miffed."  
  
"I'm not," she insisted, still whispering.  
  
Harry didn't know what to do. He dropped his hands from Ginny's shoulders, turned, and began to walk away. After he'd walked a couple of paces, Harry began to wonder why Ginny wasn't catching up to him. However, he forced himself not to look back.  
  
As he was about to sneak a peek behind him, Ginny ran in front of him, faced him, and tilted her head upwards, her eyes pleading with him. Harry looked into her eyes and understood. She needed reassurance, and love.  
  
Without thinking, Harry leant forward, and met her lips. For a long time, they stood in each other's arms, while red and yellow and orange leaves fell all around them.  
  
"I said, where have you been?" Hermione said loudly, her voice rising several octaves.  
  
Harry didn't dare look at Hermione. "I told you! Out! ... For a walk with Ginny."  
  
Ron, who had been pretending not to hear the argument that was nearly making his eardrums throb, looked up.  
  
"Ginny?"  
  
Hermione glared at Ron. "Keep out of this, you!"  
  
Harry knew that Hermione was definitely not in a good mood. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry for not leaving a note, and I'm sorry we were out for so long. Now, please save me - no, us - the lecture and let's get down to work. By the way, where's Malfoy - not that I actually care."  
  
Ron sniggered.  
  
"Who cares?" Said Hermione, trying to sound lofty. "Anyway," she said briskly, "here's the book you can help to look through. I'll leave these two books on Draco's desk later, after he comes back from... Wherever he comes back from."  
  
Harry shrugged, took the book from Hermione, and threw himself down next to Ron. After five minutes, the two of them were so engrossed in their research, they barely noticed the other Gryffindors who were coming down, ready to spend their day out of the castle.  
  
Neither did they catch Hermione's distracted look, which she had while she was thumbing through the pages.  
  
As Hermione thought she'd found something useful, Ginny burst in, and ran straight to Hermione.  
  
"Hermione! Malfoy's outside the common room! He's arguing with the Fat Lady to let him in, but she won't budge. He insists on coming in. What - what'd I do? He wants me to let him in, and I don't know if I should."  
  
Hermione's distracted look disappeared, and was replaced by an alert one. She glanced at Harry and Ron, who were watching her intently.  
  
As she opened her mouth to tell Ginny to let him in, Ron reminded her with a little smugness in his voice that made Hermione want to hit him in the face. "Only the Gryffindors are allowed in here, remember, prefect?" He sneered.  
  
Hermione bit her lip. Maybe Ron had seen her spacing out after all. But she made her decision fast.  
  
"Then I'll go back to my room, and study there with Draco," she answered, lifting up her chin, as the look on Ron's face disappeared completely.  
  
"But, Hermione - your room -."  
  
"Her room?" repeated Harry, confused.  
  
"Tell you later," said Ron quickly, glancing at Ginny, who had no head or tail about what was going on. "Hermione, you can't go!"  
  
"I can't?" She repeated, not for the first time that day. With a swift, sharp flick of her wand, she gathered the other books, and left the Gryffindor Common Room, leaving Ron and Harry to gape at her back, which was lost from their sight when the portrait closed behind her.  
  
"She can't just leave us here," said Ron in a voice that wasn't quite his own.  
  
Harry barely blinked. "Do you think she isn't telling us something?"  
  
Ron didn't answer, but while his thoughts flowed through his head, he felt like he'd aged ten years older. Why was he getting this feeling that he didn't know Hermione anymore? Even though she still talked to him in the same way - sometimes adoringly, others, like he was a fat ugly and squashed bug on her shoe.  
  
Ron stopped toying with the hem of his black T-shirt, as his eyes widened.  
  
Was it -? Could it be -?  
  
No. Surely...  
  
No.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you think - Herm's... You know, in love?"  
  
Harry laughed at threw a well-aimed cushion at his best friend's head. "Who with, doofus? You?"  
  
Ron picked up the cushion, which had fallen to the floor, stared hard at it, but didn't throw it back, like he usually did. "No," he said, looking into Harry's eyes.  
  
"With?" Said Ginny, who was sitting on the armrest of Harry's chair, and sat staring at her brother. Then, realisation dawned on her face as she studied Ron's worried expression.  
  
Then, realisation dawned, and it hit her with a tidal wave of shock. "Oh my god. Ron. You don't think...?" She nibbled on her lower lip nervously. "Not... Draco?" She whispered Draco's name like it was an ancient curse.  
  
Harry didn't laugh. He only stares at Ron. "Are you sure? What makes you think so?"  
  
Ron pulled a stray thread out from the fine embroidery on the cushion. "It's pretty obvious, isn't it? I mean, look at her. She's practically leaping at every opportunity to be alone with Draco."  
  
At first, Harry and Ginny said nothing. Maybe they were mistaken. Maybe Hermione just needed a new circle of... of what? New friends? Ginny would never consider Draco a friend! At least, not in this life time; or the next life, for that matter.  
  
But Ron did have a point. They barely saw Hermione, or hung out much together anymore, and not because she was busy swallowing her textbooks. Or chatting with Parvati and Lavender, while sitting comfortably in beanbag chairs. (Ginny just couldn't picture that) She was with Draco, except for when she did her homework, probably.  
  
'Besides,' thought Ginny, gazing at the brick wall. 'Hermione's face literally lights up when we talk about Draco, and she's always the first - if not the only one - to defend Draco when Harry, Ron or Ginny said something unpleasant about him.'  
  
Ginny wanted to knock her head against the wall. 'How could I be so stupid?' She wondered. 'The signs were looking me in the eye, begging and grovelling to be read, and what did I do? I ignored them.'  
  
Though Ginny knew that she should probably tell Ron, she kept quiet, and pretended that she was paying attention to the conversation. But in her mind, Ginny was telling herself, 'I'll stop Hermione from falling for Draco - even if it is the last thing I do!'  
  
But deep within her, she knew that she most probably couldn't go against the forces of nature. If they were meant to be, then Ron would have to just take it, and look for someone new. Ginny swallowed hard. But she knew that wouldn't be easy. Ron would never accept it.  
  
'Come on, Gin,' Ginny told herself. 'What would he do?'  
  
And another voice answered almost immediately. 'Anything, Ginny. Anything.'  
  
It looked like there was no way out. 


	30. Confusion Is All I've Got Left

Here's many, many thanks to Tortuga23, Clover, Miyuki and Shmee for your reviews. This is really short (sorry) but I've been busy listening to Meteora, and reading up stuff on Mike Shinoda... So... More soon! :)  
  
Chapter 30  
  
"I knew you'd come," smirked Draco, bending down to plant a kiss on her neck.  
  
Hermione trembled the way Draco expected her to. However, he did not expect her to take a step backwards. She took a shuddering breath to steady herself. If she wanted to be firm and take charge of their situation, it had to be now.  
  
"Draco," she tried, her voice quivering.  
  
Draco's smirk broadened. No. Hermione knew that she had to try again.  
  
"Draco." 'There,' thought Hermione with a tinge of satisfaction. "You wanted to do work, then work it is. I won't settle for less. Or - or more, or I'll go back into the Gryffindor common room and do the work with Harry and Ron instead."  
  
"You will?" Sneered Draco.  
  
"I won't?" Returned Hermione.  
  
Draco's sneer evaporated. "Fine," he said. "Let's go."  
  
Then, he turned on his heel sharply, and headed for the Prefects' tower, Hermione following meekly behind, in his wake.  
  
'Hermione,' she thought to herself. 'Hermione, there is no reason why you should be afraid. You just won, see? He listened to you! Don't be afraid. The dragon's fire isn't as hot as it seems. And he isn't as fierce as you think he is. So just be brave. Look brave.'  
  
Trying not to giggle, Hermione squared he shoulders, stuck out her chest, raised her chin, and walked in a perfectly straight line. However, when a pair of first-year Ravenclaw girls walked by her, staring strangely, she had to assume her normal posture.  
  
In the Prefects' common room, sixth and seventh year prefects were seated in couches, reading while sipping warm mugs of butterbeer or playing wizard's chess. Only a few a few Prefects looked up then went back to their books. One glance around the room told them that Cho was not there; her usual seat at the wooden table was empty.  
  
Draco leaned towards her. "Better hurry to my room before anyone notices," he whispered.  
  
Not answering, Hermione made for his room.  
  
Inside the dim place, Hermione wondered where to sit. The bed? His chair? She wondered if she could draw the curtains. 'Oh well', she thought, getting up and pulling the curtains to one side.  
  
Draco squinted at the sudden exposure. "You could've at least told me," he mumbled, blinking.  
  
"What are we supposed to do?" Said Hermione, her tone cold.  
  
Draco stared at her. "Don't tell me that I'm supposed to work with the ice queen today."  
  
"You are," snapped Hermione. "Like it or not."  
  
***  
  
"Ginny, where are you going?"  
  
Ginny turned around to look at Harry, who was still sitting on the couch. She shrugged.  
  
"For a walk outside, I guess. I need the fresh air."  
  
Harry wanted, more than anything else at that moment, to go with her, but he knew she needed her own space. "Okay. Don't be too long," he said, smiling at her.  
  
Ginny nodded, and left the common room. She had so much homework left to do, but she just wanted to relax and get away from everything. "Out of sight, out of mind," she muttered to herself.  
  
As she pushed the door to the outside open, she heard her name being called. Pausing, she turned and saw Seamus running towards her, his sandy brown hair getting into his eyes. Involuntarily, Ginny smiled.  
  
"Hi, Seamus," said Ginny, as he caught up with her.  
  
Outside the air was colder than usual. Ginny looked at the trees, and saw that they were starting to turn red and yellow.  
  
"Hey," he said, in his husky voice.  
  
Ginny found herself smiling again as she nimbly skipped down the stairs.  
  
"What brings you here?" Said Ginny, tilting her head as she surveyed her surroundings, wondering where to walk.  
  
"Just need some space of my own," Seamus said, as they walked towards the gardens. "You know, in a dormitory with four other guys - it's just crazy, sometimes. I mean, they're all cool people, don't get me wrong, but I need some space to breathe."  
  
"Am I in your space?" Ginny found herself flirting with him.  
  
"Oh, even if you were I wouldn't mind at all."  
  
Ginny blushed. 'Harry,' whispered a dry voice in her head. 'So what?' She answered the voice. 'It's not like Harry's laid a claim on me.' 'Ah,' the voice laughed softly. 'Playing the Game?'  
  
"Ginny?" Seamus, who was almost a head taller than her, was snapping his fingers in front of her face.  
  
"Sorry," she laughed, a little nervously. "Spaced out."  
  
"I can see that," he laughed.  
  
With a jolt, Ginny realized that she was feeling for Seamus the way she had for Harry in her first year. "Oh. No."  
  
"What?"  
  
Ginny jumped. "Uh? Er, sorry. Nothing. Just - thinking."  
  
Seamus brushed his hair away and smiled at her. "I could make you come down to earth, you know?"  
  
"Really?" Ginny laughed, as they stopped by a just-pruned rose bush. "How?"  
  
"I'll show you," Seamus murmured under his breath, as he closed his eyes and leaned towards her.  
  
'He's going to kiss me!' Ginny realized, just as their lips met. Danger signs flashed in her head, but she merely shut them out.  
  
When they pulled away, Seamus was smiling.  
  
Ginny didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. What had she just done? Seamus could read her expression.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said, kicking an imaginary stone out of his way as he continued to walk down the pebble pathway.  
  
Ginny had to jog to keep up with him. "No, Seamus," she said, catching hold of his forearm.  
  
Seamus didn't meet Ginny's unwavering gaze.  
  
"Look at me! Seamus!"  
  
"No, Ginny. Just go. Leave me alone. You belong to Harry. What was I thinking?" Then, shrugging Ginny's arm off, he stalked off, leaving Ginny in his wake, tears welling up in her eyes. 


	31. Watching Their Backs

BIG BIG BIG thanks to Hpfanatic, Aindel, Magicjewel88 and Karly and everyone else who has left me a review (Yup, that WHOLE list... You know who you are!).  
  
As you can see here, Ginny is thrown into a little dilemma. 'Harry? Seamus? Harry? Seamus?' At the same time, Hermione is trying to be the one who takes charge of her relationship with Draco. What happens, who gets hurt, and what happens in the end are what you need to stick around for... So HAPPY READING! (p.s. Sorry for this darned late update!)  
  
Chapter 31  
  
As Seamus walked away, hands pushed deep into his pockets, Ginny's eyes turned into little rivers as she tried not to watch him leave. When he finally disappeared completely, Ginny began to walk slowly towards the school, all her thoughts running through her head.  
  
Ginny wondered, 'Who to talk to? What to do? Where do I go?' Before she could stop herself, a loud sniff escaped her throat. Ginny brushed her tears away and tried to will herself to stop crying as she stood on the first step and tilted her face upwards to stare straight up at the afternoon sun. After a while, Ginny realized that she couldn't see very well. Slowly, she sat down and waited for her sun blindness to clear up, and while she sat, she wondered if perhaps running forever away was the best option.  
  
***  
  
Later at dinner, Hermione immediately noticed Ginny's face, which was a picture of confusion. Ginny's short concentration span only confirmed her suspicions.  
  
"Where's Seamus?" Said Ron, bringing Hermione back down to earth. "Have you seen him, Ginny?"  
  
"No," whispered Ginny into her plate.  
  
Ron, not noticing something was amiss, asked the other Gryffindors if they had seen Seamus. Everyone replied no. Puzzled, Ron went back to his meal. Ginny hoped Ron wouldn't ponder over the matter. Fortunately for her, Harry began to talk about the quidditch season, diverting his attention.  
  
Silently, Hermione began to piece two and two together. Then, the realization sank in. Ginny was confused - about Harry and Seamus! Hermione glanced up at Ron's calm, but confused sister and wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. As those times when Saemus 'joked' about Ginny, or Ginny about Seamus, they actually meant it, perhaps without themselves noticing!  
  
Hermione kicked herself mentally. Then she wondered whether or not she should talk to Ginny. Though Ginny was close to her friends, she would not turn to them if something was wrong. She kept it inside her, her feelings and thoughts bottled away inside of her. Perhaps, if Ginny wanted to bottle this matter away, she might deny anything Hermione asked her.  
  
"Miss Granger?"  
  
Hermione turned around immediately and found herself staring up at professor McGonagall.  
  
"Yes, professor? Is anything wrong?"  
  
"No, Miss Granger, but I ought to let you know that Mr Malfoy has been waiting for you since five minutes ago to begin your duties."  
  
"My - my duties?" Hermione repeated, puzzled. Her mind began to think backwards. No one had given her any information about a change of duties!  
  
"Yes," said the professor, sounding so stern that Ron, Harry and Ginny stared at Hermione. "Mr Malfoy was supposed to owl you the change of dates of your duties yesterday night."  
  
"But - but... he didn't!"  
  
Professor McGonagall frowned as she waved Draco over. Looking as puzzled as Hermione, he strode briskly over.  
  
"Professor?"  
  
"Mr Malfoy, did you owl the change of duties to Miss Granger as I told you to?"  
  
"Yes, professor."  
  
"You did not!" Said Hermione indignantly. "That big fat owl of yours never came to me!"  
  
Draco glared at her. "You did! You sent me back a note with the words, 'Thanks'."  
  
"I did not! Where is the note?"  
  
Draco fished it out of one of his pockets and trust it at her face. "Here. See this?"  
  
Hermione studied it and gasped. "This isn't my handwriting. I don't write my Ts this way!"  
  
Professor McGonagall paled, and was about to say something, but Hermione bet her to it.  
  
"You don't think Draco's owl was intercepted, do you, professor?"  
  
"I'm afraid it was, Miss Granger. I'm afraid so. Now, if you'll give me that note," she said, as she took it from Hermione, "I'll have a word with the Headmaster. I think it's best if you don't do your duties tonight."  
  
Then, turning swiftly, she left the Gryffindors and Draco staring after her. When they turned back to each other, one thing was clear on their faces. "Who intercepted the owl?" 


End file.
